You and I
by emilyherself
Summary: Post- DH/ AU. Healer Sadie Lewis never knew that fixing Al Potter's broken leg would lead to such a profound romance with his father. Harry/OC, Ginny/Dean, all other canon intact. Rated M for later chapters. All reviews appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

It had been one of those crazy days at St. Mungo's Hospital- when I'd eaten lunch standing up and scribbling out notes. But it had slowed down long enough for me to grab a quick coffee break.I was nearly dead on my feet and had a good few hours left on my shift, so I picked up another coffee and drank it on my way across the ward.

"What's up?" I asked Brynne, the shift leader as I passed the station. She handed me a rather thick folder.

"Your problem now." she said. "That case is all yours until the end of your shift. If it's still not taken care of, stay longer."

I looked down at this folder. People were only given one on one attention if they were really high up in the Ministry or famous Quidditch players. When I opened it up, I quickly understood why it had received this level of attention- it was one of the Potter kids. Famous Dad, who'd killed You-Know-Who fifteen years back, and Famous Mum, who'd conquered the Quidditch world and even dared to divorce the most famous war hero in history. I was extremely intimidated as I walked across the Pediatric Ward to his room. I slid back the curtain to his cubby, and greeted them. "Hello." I said. "I'm Healer Sadie Lewis and I'll be taking care of you today."

The little boy was on the examination table, in his Dad's lap crying. His leg jutted out at an odd angle and I could tell it was broken. I felt really bad for him. Although I was still intimidated, it my hands were less shaky now that I could see the patient. If I could remember correctly, this was the middle Potter child- Albus, after the Hogwarts headmaster. He looked exactly like his father, pale complexion, dark, unrully hair, and green eyes. He was around ten. Glasses were on the table next to the bed. I outstretched my hand to shake Harry's. "Harry." he said, "And this is Al." Al just looked at me, tears coming out his eyes.

"Hi, Al." I said, getting down on his level. "Looks like you might have hurt your leg, want to tell me what happened?"

"I crashed off my broom while I was trying to race Jay." he said, quietly. I handed him a clean handkerchief from my pocket and he wiped his eyes. "I landed on a tree."

I wrote it all down, guessing Jay was his brother. I put down my chart and put on some gloves. "Do you mind if I take a look at it?" I asked. Harry moved off the table so I could examine him better. I pulled his leg out forward and he winced. "That hurts?" He nodded. I touched it gingerly, but knew it was broken from the angle it was turned. Eventually, I saw no point in hurting him further and took off the gloves.

"Well?" Harry asked, wringing his hands nervously. I'd never expected the Man-Who-Conquered to be such a nervous wreck after a simple broken bone.

"It's broken." I said. I bent down to talk to Al again. "So I'm going to give you some pain potion, which should make it stop hurting so bad, and then I'm going to move your bone back into the right position. After that, I'll have to give you some Skele-grow, and you'll have to stay here overnight. In the morning you can go home."

Harry sighed. "Okay." he said. "He'll be all right?" He began to pace back and forth across the floor in the small cubby.

"Oh, totally." I said. "Tomorrow morning, there will be no trace of any broken legs on anyone." I assured them both, squeezing Al's hand. His eyes filled with tears again.

"I'm sorry, Papa." he said, and Harry hugged him again.

"I'm going to go get some pain potion and put the order in for your Skele-grow. If you need anything, just ring this bell," I pointed to the wall, "And I'll be right there for you. I'm assigned to be your personal healer the whole time you're here, Al, so don't hesitate to ask for anything." I got out of there to give them a few moments to be alone. I ran back to the Healer station and poured myself a cup of coffee really quick, trying to drink as much as I could before I had to go back in there.

"How's it going?" Brynne asked, walking past me. I shuffled the papers, looking for consent forms for Harry to sign.

"Fine." I said. "Broken leg, easy to fix. He'll be out of here in the morning." I grabbed a bottle of pain potions and made my way back to the room. In front of me were three kids that I knew must be gravitating towards where I was going. A tall boy with chestnut hair carried a little redhead on his back, she was giggling and wearing a frilly pink dress. They were followed by a red head boy. Potter kids, definitely. The taller boy stopped at a corner. "Jay- do you remember which way?"

"Up!" the little girl cried, tugging on the taller boy's hair. "Yes?"

"Uhm, no." the other boy said. "I think left, maybe? I don't really remember." They looked both ways down the hall, and stopped.

"Are you looking for your Dad and brother?" I asked. They all turned around to look at me, startled. The older boy nodded. "I'm the Healer in charge of Al. You can come this way." They all followed me down the hall. I knocked on the cubby frame, and Harry called for me to come in. "Look who I found." I said, holding the curtain back for them to go in. Al quickly dried his tears and sat up.

"What's up, Teddy?" Harry asked, standing up.

"Neville said he'd be here in ten minutes, and Hermione said she'd come get Lily at theirs." he said, letting the little girl down. She ran right to her dad. I set all the papers down at the table, and started getting them ready. Al's eyes were shut and he was trying to ignore the chaos that was his siblings. I uncorked the pain potion and sat on the side of Al's bed.

"How bad is your pain?" I asked him.

"It's okay." he said, eyeing his siblings. "I'm tough."

I found his courage adorable, and handed him the little bottle. "It's grape flavored, I hope that's okay." He tipped it back and swallowed it, making a face. "It doesn't taste great, I know. It might make you a little sleepy for a bit, so if it does you should just try and take a little nap, okay?"

"Uh-uh." he said, his eye lids already getting heavy. He rolled onto his side, away from his siblings. I looked over to the other kids, all talking at the same time. Harry looked to Al, and sighed.

"Al, do you think you will be okay for a few minutes?" he asked, raking a hand through his hair. "I just want to walk them out to meet Neville."

"Sure, Papa." he said quietly, staring off at the ceiling.

"Is he going to be okay if I leave him?" Harry asked, turning to me. The little girl was pawing at his shirt.

"Yeah." I said. "He will be fine. I'll stay with him if you want."

"Okay, thanks. I'll be right back, Al." he said. "Come on, kids..."

He took the kids away and the noise with them. Al was still awake and stared at me. "Can I get you anything, hun?" I asked.

"No thanks." he said. His voice was so quiet, his demeanor so soft compared to his siblings. "I'm just happy to have the quiet back."

"Yeah?" I asked. "I'll bet. How's your pain now?"

"Better." he said. "I didn't want to tell you how much it hurt in front of Jay 'cos he would make fun of me later for being a wuss."

"Oh, don't worry about that stuff, Al." I said. "Braking a bone is one of the most painful things out there- if you tell me how much it really hurts, I can fix it easier."

"All right." he said. "I will."

"I just have to wait for your Papa to get back to sign some paper work and I'll fix you and let you take a good long rest, okay?"

"He has to bring them to find Neville. That's his best mate." he said. "Except for Lily. Lils has something wrong with her."

"I'm sorry." I said. I thought about the beautiful little girl- she seemed to be perfectly fine to me.

"She has some... disease. Some Muggle thing that my Mum hates." he was rambling. "Seizures, I think it's called? I dunno, but she shakes really hard and forgets how to talk right, so she has to go to my aunt Hermione's. Plus Mum says we can't ever let her have a seizure in public because the press would have a... a something, I forget the word for it, but it would be bad and not good for my parents."

Harry slipped back in, and I thought he heard the end of it and knew what we were talking about. "How are you feeling, Al?" he asked.

"Better, Papa." he said, and I could see him relax. Now that his Papa was here he nearly drifted to sleep.

"I made the executive descision to medicate him without having you sign the waiver before because it was a little hectic in here." I said, "But if you wouldn't mind signing it now, along with the waiver for the Skele-grow, that would be great..."

"Thanks for that, by the way." he said. "I've got all the kids and my god son this weekend, usually I have the weekends off and then this happened and my ex-wife's on her honeymoon and it's been a very stressful afternoon for us..."

"I bet." I said, pointing out the places he needed to sign. I didn't know that Ginny had gotten remarried- I really needed to catch up on the tabloids.

"Does he really need to have Skele-grow?" he asked. "That stuff is nasty."

"Well, it really is the best way to heal something with this. And it'll leave him with the best heal, least damage, and quickest heal, so I'd really advise for it." I took a deep breath. "Though I could arrange for dinner and a bowl of ice cream to be brought right up after the treatment. He'll be medicated while I reset the bones, but that should wear off enough for him to develop a little bit of an appetite."

"That would be really great, thank you." he said. He looked tired.

"Do you want two bowls brought up?" I asked. He must be starving. "I can put in for a second dinner to be brought up. Or at least a cup of tea?"

"That sounds really good." he said. "When will you set his bone?" We both looked at him, he was sound asleep, his mouth wide open.

"The medicine is working. I'll go get what I need." I said. "I'll be right back."

I went to the Healers' station and started collecting supplies. I noticed Cor was just sitting around. "Cor-" I said. "Want to come help me reset a bone?"

"Sure." she said. "Did you get hooked onto the high profile that came in?" I nodded. She ran around and helped me get some of the supplies. I ran over to the tea and coffee machine and poured a tea, and stirred in two sugars, hoping that was good enough. "Tea? Really?"

"It's for the kid's father." I said. "And don't freak out when you see who it is." I knew Cor was a really big Weasley Quidditch fan and would nearly flip when she saw who's bone we were resetting.

"So does that mean you won't be coming home tonight?" she asked. We shared a little two bedroom flat in Diagon Alley, over Ollivander's.

"Probably not." I grumbled. "Brynne's giving me the day off tomorrow, or I swear..."

Speak of the devil, and she shall appear. Brynne came around the corner. "How's it going?" she asked.

"Great." I said. "But I've been here for ten hours already. I'm tired."

"You can have tomorrow off." she said. "You just make sure every single thing they want is taken care of ASAP. Sadie- do you understand?"

"Yes." I said. "Come on, Cor." We walked to the cubby and I turned around before we got there. I handed her the chart outside the door and put a finger to my lips. "Shh..." I motioned. Her eyes bugged out as she saw who it was and her jaw dropped.

"Oh my God!" she whispered. I opened the curtain, carrying the tea in one hand, folder under my other arm. Cor carried the supplies I needed.

I handed Harry his tea. "I hope two sugars is enough for you." I said.

"Yeah, that's fine. Thanks so much." he said. Al was still asleep on the bed, his leg propped up nicely.

"Healer Cordelia Hamilton." she said, shaking Harry's hand. "It's really great to meet you, sir."

Al was awake again, blinking at me. "Hi." he said. He yawned and stretched, and settled back into his pillow.

"Hey." I said. "We're going to set your leg now, sweetie. Do you want to know the whole process or do you just want to get it all over with?"

"Can you tell me later?" he asked. I uncorked a smaller, purple bottle that would sedate him for about ten minutes.

"Of course." I said. "Here, why don't you just drink this and take a little nap? We'll see you in about ten minutes."

He nodded and swallowed it in one gulp. "Night, Papa." he said, looking at Harry. Harry got up, and kissed his forehead. "Sleep well, Al." Al's eyes shut and he drifted off to sleep again.

"This might be kind of hard to watch." I told him, and we got set up. Cor held the bone straight and I pushed it into place, making sure it was not anywhere it shouldn't be. I felt the swelling and made a mental note to give him some anti-inflammatory potion after he ate dinner. I felt his leg, and it felt secure enough. I wrapped it with some gauze and soft bandages, then cast a spell to harden it up. His foot was secure and wouldn't move, so I propped his whole leg up on a couple of pillows. He was still asleep, and Cor cleaned up.

"If you need any other help, Sadie, let me know." Cor said. "And I hope he feels better!" she added, looking at Harry.

"Thanks." he mumbled. She shut the curtain behind her. "Thank you."

"Of course." I affirmed. "Do you want some privacy now?-or, is there anything I can get you?"

"You don't have any other patients?" he asked, looking a little confused. "The hall was full of kids earlier."

"No." I said. "They assigned me to keep an eye on Al until he's ready to go home."

"Oh." he said, looking guilty. "The Harry Potter card?"

"Just a bit."

He nodded. "That explains a lot." he mumbled. "Don't feel like you need to stay here all night, then. And know that I don't usually play the whole 'defeated Voldemort' card, but, you know... it's my kid and I just want him to feel better."

"Of course." I said. "I totally understand."

"Oh." he said. "You have kids?"

I could almost laugh, but didn't want to confuse him. "No." I said. "I have a cat. But I work with kids all day, and I see what parents do for their children, and I know they mean a lot."

Al's eyes opened, and he started blinking. He sat up, and looked at his leg. "G'mornin''..." he grumbled.

"Not quite." Harry said, laughing. "You only slept for about fifteen minutes."

I poured out the Skele-grow, feeling bad I would have to cause this sweet kid so much pain. It wouldn't set in for a few hours, after he'd eaten, partially digested, and slept for a bit. I was guessing around ten o'clock he would start hurting. I would just have to remember to keep some pain medicine nearby. I watched them hug and cuddle for a few minutes, and handed Al the potion. "Unfortunately, I have to give you this stuff." I said, "It tastes kind of gross."

"Will it make me hurt?" he asked, his beautiful green eyes looking up at me afraid.

"Not for awhile." I said. "Probably in about three hours your leg will start to hurt, but you tell me right away and I'll take care of the pain right away, okay?"

"

Okay." he said. He drank it and grimaced at the taste. "Gross!" He stuck out his tongue, squeezing his eyes shut.

"I know, I'm sorry." I said. "Do you feel like you could eat some dinner, Al? Even just a little? You haven't eaten in awhile."

"I think so." he said.

"Then I'll give you two a few minutes by yourself. I'll be back in about fifteen minutes with your dinner, okay?" I asked. "I'll be right outside if you need me, just ring me."

They both nodded and I left them to be. Finally, I got to sit down for a few minutes, and shove some pastries that were sitting on the counter in my mouth. I grabbed another cup of coffee to drink before their dinners would be here. Cor came around the corner, and sat down next to me, with a grin on her face. "I cannot believe you get to tend to them. You are so lucky!" she said. "I'm so jealous."

"_This_ is why I am the one in charge of them." I said, nudging her playfully. "Really, he's not some pretentious arse or thinks he's a celebrity or anything. He's just trying to make sure his kid feels better."

"I know, I know." she admitted, still smiling. "He's so attractive though, I mean, I know he's older than us but still... yum."

I laughed at her. "Don't let Brynne hear you say that or you'll never get anyone other than the nobodies."

"Sure, sure." she said. "Anyways, I'm outta here in fifteen. Do you want me to feed Sam?"

I thought of my lovely, soft cat who was probably sitting on my bed, wondering where I was. Poor Sam. "That would be great." I said. "Thanks, Cor."

"Good luck." she said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

I grabbed some coloring books, crayons, and then took the two freshly delivered meals and brought them all into their room. They were both on Al's little bed, talking quietly. "Dinner time." I said, summoning a tray to put over them. I expanded the bed so Harry didn't have to hang off it so much, and put their meals down.

"Looks yummy." Al said, sitting up. "Thank you, Sadie." They both ate like they hadn't eaten in awhile, which they hadn't. Al's eyes lit up when he saw the dish of vanilla ice cream, and I thought he would lick the bowl. "Don't you get to eat?" he asked, looking concerned.

"Aren't you sweet?" I asked. "I already ate, but thanks, Al. How is your pain doing?"

"Feels good." he said, nodding. "Can I color?" he asked, looking at the crayons I brought him. "I mean, I know I'm a little old for that stuff, or that's what Jay said..."

I picked up the coloring books and spread them in front of him so he could choose whatever one he wanted. "That's why I brought them for you, hun."

"You have to stop listening to Jay." Harry said. "You can decide for yourself sometimes, you know."

He colored for a bit, and I left them alone for around half an hour. I checked in with Brynne, told her they were doing fine. As the night edged on, I was getting more tired. Brynne authorized me to take a Wake Up potion, which usually wasn't allowed for Healers on their normal shifts because they could create a dependency. I felt better quickly after that, and Brynne even sent someone to get me a sandwich. After I'd eaten I felt like I could do anything.

"Good work." Brynne said, "Now get back in there."

I went in. Al was almost asleep, Harry with his arm around him. You could tell he really cared about his children, it was really heart warming. "Hi Sadie." he said, in his calm, quiet, little voice.

"How're you doing?" I asked him. It was almost time for the pain to set in, so I hoped he could just stay up and wouldn't have to go through the shock of waking up and sleeping multiple times.

"Okay." he said. "My leg is starting to hurt again, though."

I got up and got him a vomit dish just in case, and got a pain potion out. He seemed okay for a few minutes, but I could tell the pain was setting in. His other leg was starting to shake back and forth and I saw a bead of sweat roll down his face. "Want the pain potion?" I asked him.

He started to gag and I grabbed the dish for him. He emptied most of his stomach into the dish. When he stopped, I shoved the pain potion down his throat and he relaxed. I could see his vision go cloudy. "Night, Papa..." he said again. "I love you."

"Love you too, Al." he said. "Have a good sleep." Al drifted off into dream land, and Harry slumped down into his chair. I returned the bed to its original size, and cleared away the vomit.

"Can I get you anything?" I asked. "Coffee, tea, ginger ale, there's a plate of danish out there and I could probably get you one. Heck, I could probably abuse a trainee and make them get you a sandwich."

He laughed. "I'm all set, thanks. I haven't had this much caffeine in years, my body's a bit shot."

"You've had a rough day." I said. I didn't know whether or not I should even bring it up, but I did. "I know you heard Al and me talking about Lily earlier... and I just wanted to let you know that everything you two say and do is extremely confidential. I'm not even allowed to go home and tell Cor or anything. So you don't have to worry about the press finding out."

He nodded. "Thanks." he said. "To me, it isn't a big deal. I mean, she gets seizures, but they're pretty well managed. I have pills for her, she takes one and she's okay. She doesn't have any developmental delays, I mean, her speech could be better but it's in the range of normal. To Ginny, though, it's a huge deal. I just don't understand, but I've learned to pick my battles with her, and this isn't one that's made the cut."

"Yeah." I said. "She's adorable, and I didn't know anything was wrong with her."

He nodded. "She is a spitfire, that's for sure. Takes after Ginny, definitely."

"That's my specialty." I said. "Newborns to Toddlers. But I'm usually put up here in general pediatrics because there's not much use for the little ones."

"What made you want to be a children's doctor?" he asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

"I like helping the kids." I said, looking over at Al's sleeping form. "The majority of them are so sweet, and it's usually really easy fixes, and such instant gratification. And they always smile when you help them."

"I don't think Al did much smiling today." he said.

"Tomorrow he will." I said. "Tomorrow, when he wakes up and can move his leg again he'll be pretty happy."

"How long will he be injured?" he asked.

"I'll rap him up nice and tight tomorrow morning, then you can probably take that off in about two days, I mean, have him take it easy but he'll be fine after that."  
"Okay, good." he said. "Because Ginny didn't want to leave the kids with me- even though they're with me during the weekdays anyways so it's only a few extra days, and she told me she better now come home to broken children. And then Al got broken."

"It's pretty minor, all things considered." I said. "And he's a kid... that's what kids do, he was out playing with his siblings and he got a little beat up."

He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." he said. "So you like taking care of children... but you don't have any of your own?"

"No." I said, laughing this time. "No kids."

"Well, it's not like you have a problem with them..." he mumbled.

"To have children, one would probably have to find at the very least, a boyfriend. And to find a boyfriend, one would probably have to date. Which I haven't done in about... three years."

"Me either." he said, sighing. "Except I already have the children part done with."

"At least your kids are pretty cute. And I am qualified to make that judgement because I spend all day with kids."

"Oh really?" he asked, laughing at my qualification. "Thanks." We were quiet for a few minutes. "The date thing for me is just way too hard. I have to meet someone who isn't fazed by the press, who doesn't have a problem with my kids, who isn't terrified by Ginny's scare tactics, and who can deal with my crazy schedule. My friend Neville tries to get me out of the house, but sometimes..."

"Neville Longbottom?" I asked. "I'm friends with his wife."

"Oh, you know Hannah?" he asked. "Did you go to Hogwarts with us?"

"I'm a few years behind your lot." I said. "I was in second year for the year after the battle, so I'm about six years younger than you all."

"What house were you in?" he asked. "I don't remember you, sorry."

"No, it's fine. I was just some random first year and you had more important things to do. But I was in Ravenclaw."

"You stayed for the awful year of the battle?" he asked.

"I don't even know how I managed it, really. See, I'm muggleborn... But Hannah worked it out for us to get to stay, she made up some family tree and produced some fake relatives and said we were cousins... Without her I don't know what might have happened."

"Wow." he said. "I never knew anything about that."

"Well, when you're hiding from Voldemort you don't exactly advertise it, but I'm sure you know that."

He laughed. "True." he said. "Wow. So were you at Frank's birthday party a few weeks ago?" he asked.

"Oh, no." I said. "I was working, but I sent him a gift. Were you at Louise's party in December?"  
"All the kids had the flu that week so I decided to stay home." he said. "It's kind of funny that we have been sort of dancing around the same social circle for awhile." "Yeah it is." I agreed. We were quiet for a little longer. I could tell he was tired.

"How long have you been here?" he asked. It was almost midnight.

"A really long time." I said. "My shift started at seven this morning. But I've taken some Alertness potions so I'm fine to take care of him."

"Okay." he said. "Wow. That's a really long time. So you're going to go straight home and sleep?"

"Well, first I'll probably find something to eat that isn't pastry based, shove it in my mouth, and then go to bed." We both laughed. "If you want me to leave so you can sleep, just let me know. I'm not allowed to sleep, but I can go out there and do paperwork..."

"I won't get any sleep here." he said. "But thank you."

It was a long night. As it wore on, I was getting more tired and was definitely ready to sleep. Being a Healer meant long hours in odd patterns, so I was used to going many, many hours without sleep, but this was probably the longest I'd ever been awake. We talked though, and he was good company. He wasn't an arse, and it was hard to think about him as a celebrity at four in the morning. He nodded off in the middle of the conversation around four, so I got up to get discharge papers ready. I stood at the Healers station, filling out paperwork. I arranged for a portkey to be set up for them, just in case they wanted it. And then I sent down for breakfast orders. I grabbed another cup of tea for Harry and put a warming charm on it. The Healer in charge for this shift was Glenn, a short man in his late thirties. "You're still here?" he asked. "Oh, you got hooked on that high profile, I get it."

I nodded. "Can you authorize a Wake Up potion on my patient's Dad? He's been awake for almost twenty four hours and has a few kids waiting at home. Brynne told me to take care of whatever he needs."

"Sure thing." he said, handing me a green bottle. I took the tea and the bottle into the cubby. Harry sat up, blinking at the lights.

"Did I fall asleep in the middle of a conversation with you?" he asked. "Or did I dream that?"

"No, you did." I said. "It's fine. I brought you a cup of tea and some Wake Up potion."

"Thanks so much." he said. I could see how tired he was, his arms were shaking and his eyes were really heavy. He tried to uncap the bottle but his fingers were to shaky. I took it from him, opened it, and poured it down his throat. "Wow." he mumbled. "That stuff works really well."

"Yes it does." I said. "You should have about... eight to ten hours of good energy from that, but you'll crash pretty hard."

"Okay, I'll remember that. I'll just try and get my god son to watch Jay and Lily and take a nap for a few hours."

"Good idea." I said. "What time does Al usually wake up?"

He chuckled. "Al's awake pretty early, usually. Any time now." I looked up at the clock, it was just after six thirty. I went to get their breakfasts then, and when I came back Al was awake.

"Good morning!" I said, putting on the cheer. "How are you feeling today?"

"Great!" he said, a huge smile spreading across his face. "Thank you, Sadie!"

I smiled at him. "So why don't you eat up, I'll be back to wrap your leg one more time, and you can get dressed and go home. How does that sound?"

"Really good." he said. I put down the two plates of food and let them eat for awhile. When Al sat back, I got out the wrap and wrapped up his leg. It looked like it was perfectly healed. I left them to get dressed and went and collected all of my stuff.

"I'm leaving." I said to Glenn in a sing-song voice. "I've been here for twenty five hours."

"Have fun with that." he said, taking my time card. I grabbed the stack of discharge papers and brought them to Harry to sign. He did.

I handed them the empty potion bottle I'd made into a portkey. "Do you want a portkey?" I asked, "Or are you just going to walk out?"

"We'll walk." Harry said. Al stood up and Harry carried his stuff.

"I'll walk you out then." I said. "This way."

I brought them through the private lift so they wouldn't have to deal with other people, and then out the pivate exit into a random alley in London. "Well, I hope you feel better, Al." I said. He leaned over and hugged me, which I wasn't expecting.

"Thank you for making me feel better, Sadie."

"Of course." I said, ruffling his hair.

"Thank you." Harry said. I nodded. "Maybe I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, maybe." I said, and waited for them to apparate. Once they were gone, I apparated to the Leaky Cauldron. I needed some food, fast. I knew Hannah would be working because she opened and closed it every day. The large restaurant was mostly empty, just a few people in booths in the back.

"Just get off a shift?" she asked me as I sat at the counter. "You look wiped."

"It was a twenty five hour shift." I said. "I got attached to a certain... high profile patient and they wanted to make sue he received very good quality care." I wanted to hint to her who it was, but I couldn't because it was confidential. I had a feeling she knew.

"A certain high profile patient who's other children are currently asleep on my couch?" she asked, giggling.

"I'm not allowed to tell you." I said, but I winked. She nodded.

"Well, you must be exhausted. What can I get for you?" I was tempted to order some firewhiskey, but knew it would be a bad idea. I just ordered breakfast and she went back to put it in.

"How's it going?" she asked. "I haven't seen you in ages.'

"I know." I said. "I've been working crazy lately."

"Why?" she asked. "Are you trying to move out or something? Save up some money?"

"Well, no..." Truthfully, I spent such long hours working because I was lonely. At 27, I knew I should be settled down or at the very least dating someone seriously, and I wasn't. I was sick of going home and seeing my parents and them asking me if I was every going to settle down... Instead, I played the workaholic card. "I just like what I do."

"You workaholics..." she shook her head. She brought me my breakfast and I ate it quietly. The greasy food tasted so good after hours of nothing but sugar coated pastries. I heard chaos upstairs, and heard what sounded like a heard of elephants coming down the back staircase. Frank led the pack. "They're awake." Behind Frank were Jay and Harry's godson, Teddy.

"Harry's here." Frank said, coming around the counter. "Hey Sadie! What's up?" he came and gave me a big hug.

"Ah, Frank!" I hugged him back. "You're getting so big!" He grinned and nodded. "So how was your first year at Hogwarts?"

"Oh, it was great." he said. "I loved it. Mum told you I'm in Gryffindor, right?"

"Yeah she did. That's awesome!" I loved Frank, he was such a good natured and happy kid. I had known him since he was born, and he had never been down or sad. Teddy was staring at me, and I couldn't figure out if it was a good or a bad look.

Harry came down the stairs, carrying Lily and walking slowly with Al. "Aren't you sick of us yet?" he asked, looking at me. "I'm sorry to keep following you."

"You know, when you said 'see you around' I thought there might be a little bit of a time delay on it?" We laughed. I finished chewing the food in my mouth, and waved my arm to dismiss him. "I was just about to leave, don't worry about it." I picked up my purse to pay and Harry threw down a few coins first.

"Thanks for taking good care of us." he said.

"I am so tired I am just going to let you pay for that." I gave up.

Hannah looked back and forth between us. "So you guys know each other now?" she asked, scraping the money off the counter and placing it in the till. "Cool."

I nodded. "Anyways, I'll see you all later." I walked to my flat, struggling to keep my eyes awake. The shakes set in as I hit the stairs, and trudged up three staircases before finally coming to our apartment. Sam ran to meet me and I picked him up, cuddling his soft, fluffy body. I immediately got into bed, and he curled up at my feet. I drifted off to sleep for a very long time...

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I appreciate every read and review to know how you all like the story! A new chapter will be coming soon! Stay tuned!


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: Hopefully this chapter is a bit more manageable, the last chapter was really long, sorry guys! I hope you guys enjoy it- if you do, please review! Thanks, Emily.

Unfortunately, I did eventually have to go back to work, three days later- Tuesday. But this time I was working the night shift. I was well rested and well fed and happy to go back. It was quiet again on the floor, not busy, and certainly no high profile patients to look after. Brynne had stopped me and told me she was proud of me for handling the case so well, and I should expect a position of shift leader being offered to me in the near future. I wasn't sure if I would take the position or not, but it was nice to be recognized. I would work Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and have three more days off.

Tuesday and Wednesday were easy days, not many children had come in so I sat around a lot. I'd read up in the tabloids on who Ginny had married- it turned out that it was Dean Thomas, one of her boyfriends from Hogwarts. She'd had his child a year before, something I didn't know. They were on their honeymoon and had taken the baby with them, somewhere in the south of France. I felt a little bad for the kids, I mean, I obviously didn't know the whole situation, but it didn't seem like Ginny liked her first children as much as her new baby. I put them off my mind, figuring I'd run into them again some other time, and focused on work. Like always.

I'd just come back from my fifteen minute break with Cor when Brynne was smiling at me weird. "Hi Sadie..." she said, rearranging papers for me.

"What's that face for?" I asked, concerned.

"Get to room 9 now." she said. "High profile again, all yours, same deal as last time." I grabbed the case folder and opened it up, seeing that it was a Potter file again. Shite, I thought. This couldn't be good. I ran to the end of the hall, it was a much bigger room this time, which probably meant a more serious injury. I knocked on the door, not really waiting for a response before going in. Lily was in Harry's arms on the bed, shaking and convulsing.

"Seizure?" I asked, moving rapidly to get gloves on. I was worried for the little girl.

"Yeah." he said, looking a little calmer now that he had seen me. He had tears in his eyes and was shaking himself. "It started like all her others do, she couldn't speak, she fell over, started shaking. I gave her a pill like usual and it didn't do anything, it's been happening for about fifteen minutes now."

I knew that wasn't good at all- that was a really long time for a seizure. "I'm going to treat her and have you consent later."

"Fine, fine!" he said. "Just make her better, Sadie."

He sounded so young when begging me to make his daughter better and I ran out to get sedatives. That was all I could do for her now, sedate her until she stopped seizing. I brought back two potions, one that would hopefully work and a really strong back up. I put her in my lap, making sure she was secure and shoved the potion down her throat. Her body slowly became limp, and she opened her eyes, just barely.

"Papa..." she sighed, eyes focusing on Harry. He started crying again and scooped her up to comfort her. "I'm really sleepy."

"Don't fight it, Lils. Just sleep. I'll be here when you wake up." he said. Her head flopped down on his shoulder and he placed her down on the bed and pulled the blanket over her. He flopped down on the chair next to the bed and sat with his head in his hands, tears streaming down his face. Here was this amazing man, who defeated the most evil man ever, and he was falling apart. I put my hand on his shoulder.

"She's going to be okay." I said, quietly, rubbing his shoulder. "I promise."

He took out a handkerchief and dabbed at his eyes. "I'm sorry." he said, "I was just so worried about her... she's always pulled out of them before, or they were over after I gave her the pill. And then she didn't and I'm always afraid she won't pull out of it and then we'll have to make a really bad decision and I just..." He took a deep breath. "Shite, this is your handkerchief, I'm sorry, I sort of stole it last time."

"Don't even..." I said. "It's just fine. I've got tons of them." Mum had them printed up when I moved out, they had my initials on them. "Can I get you anything? Do you need to check in on your kids or something?"

"Uhm, yeah, actually..." he said. "Is there a Floo or something? I need to tell the kids' grandmother."

"I'll show you where the employee one is," I said. "And can I get you anything to eat or drink?"

"I'm fine." he said. "Will Lily be okay here by herself?"

"She'll be fine." I answered, and led him out, "She's going to be asleep for about four hours, I'll recheck her vitals and talk to her and see how she's doing, then if everything seems find you can take her home."

He nodded. The only person in the employee lounge was Cor, who was drinking a coffee and filling out paper work. "Cor- do you mind leaving for a few minutes?" I asked. She nodded when she saw Harry following me.

"Of course." she said.

I pointed to the fireplace and uncovered the Floo powder stash. "I'll be outside." I said. "So whenever you're done..."

I got started on the consent forms for Lily, thinking about the poor girl. She probably just wanted to go home. Brynne walked past me, looking curious. "How's it going...?"

"Fine." I sighed. "Stressful, sad... but fine."

"You don't need any help?" she asked, grabbing her own stuff.

"No. I've got it under control."

"All right. Ask for help if you need it, cases like that can be a little tricky sometimes."

I nodded, and set off to make Harry a cup of tea. He said he didn't want it, but I knew that he would probably appreciate it later. He came out of the room looking pretty weary. I handed him the tea and he smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, Sadie." He looked so tired and sad, I just wanted to give him a hug.

"Are you sure I can't get you anything else?" I asked. "I'm sure there are some interns out there who would be really pleased to get you a sandwich."

He chuckled. "I already ate dinner, but thank you." he said. "Already ate dinner and put all the kids to bed except Teddy."

We were back in the room. I dimmed the lights for Lily and we talked. "How old are your children?"

"Teddy... he's my Godson, but he stays with me a lot. His Gram's getting old and he needs to get out. He's fifteen." he said. "James is twelve, just finished up his second year at Hogwarts, then Albus is ten, and Lily is three." I noted the large age difference between Al and Lily, and then remembered that Lily was three. Ginny and Harry had been divorced three years ago, and Ginny had already had another baby. There wasn't a lot of time in between. "Lily was a last ditch effort to save the marriage, but we decided it couldn't be saved after we found out she was pregnant. It just wasn't worth it."

"I'm sorry." I said.

He shrugged. "I'm just happy I've got the kids for most of the time." he said. "I don't agree with what Ginny's doing... I don't have say in it, really, so I just have to let it go."

"Yeah, definitely. Not everything is worth starting a war over."

He chuckled. "I'm sorry I'm telling you all this... you probably don't care."

"No-" I said. "It's fine. Really. You're good to talk to..."

"Thanks." he answered. "It's just been a rough couple of years. The press has been all over me, I mean, that's whatever, but I just want them to stay away from my kids. And Ginny's been all over the place, moving on really quickly. And all of my friends... they _try_. But they don't really get it... they're all in happy relationships. And my best mate is Ginny's brother. He can't really take either of our sides."

"It should calm down now and you'll be okay." I said. "Now that's she's married and hopefully settling."

"Should." he said. "I hope so."

"I was engaged for three years." I admitted, wanting to add to this conversation.

"And you called it off?" he asked, leaning forward.

"I knew that we wouldn't last." I answered. "I didn't want to delay the inevitable. He was a Muggle and was freaked out by 'my world' and I knew that if I had kids I wanted to raise them in this world, but he refused to consider it. I was young and dumb for letting it do on for three years. But I think that calling it off was one of the most adult things I've ever bucked up and done. I moved in with Cor and we've been living together ever since."

"She's single too?"

"She doesn't want to commit." I said. "She has her share of fun, but at the end of the day I think she just enjoys being a free agent."

"That's really good." he said. "That you didn't go through with it."

We were quiet for a few minutes, as night grew on. Lily looked really peaceful as she slept. I looked over at Harry, to offer him more tea or something, and found him staring at me with an intense look in his eyes. It made me feel warm from the inside and also want to hide. "Sadie," he said. "Would you ever want to go out for coffee or something? Dinner, maybe?"

My head sort of spun a little- did he just ask me out? I quickly regained sense and realized I was at work, I couldn't accept this. I hadn't been asked out in ages, so it was kind of cool, my heart was fluttering and I had butterflies in my stomach. "I'm not allowed to date patients." I said, looking away. "But if you were to, you know, send me an owl, I might be persuaded to meet you for coffee." I met his eyes and could see a small smile on his face. "I just have to warn you, it's been a long, long time since I've been on a date."

"Thank you, Sadie." he said. I saw Lily's arm twitching and watched her begin to wake up.

"When she wakes up, do I have permission to go get her a treat? Ice cream, or something?" I asked him.

"Yeah, she loves anything chocolate." he said. Her eyes fluttered and she sat up.  
"Papa?" she asked, "Where'm I?"

He got onto the bed and comforted her. "You're at the hospital, Lils." he said. "You had a really bad seizure, but you're going to be okay." She started crying and I felt so bad. I didn't know whether to stay or leave. "This is Sadie." he whispered to her, nudging towards me. "She helped you get better."

"I want Mummy..." Lily said, crying, banging her little fist on his shoulder. "Where's Mummy? Why she is no here?"

He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair while he thought of what to say. I intervened. "Lily, would you like it if I could get you some chocolate ice cream? Would that make it any better?"

She nodded at me, the tears stopping for a minute. I got up to go get some for her, going into the little fridge and freezer for stuff like this. I scooped her a bowl of chocolate ice cream and then brought it back to her. She was still crying, a sad, sobbing cry. It wasn't fake or whiny, and was the type of cry that made me so sad for her. I handed her the bowl of ice cream and she shook her head. "I just want my Mummy..." she moaned, looking up at me.

"Maybe I should go Floo her?" Harry asked, getting up and pacing.

"What do you want your Mummy to do for you?" I asked Lily, getting really close to her.

"She always rub my back and sing to me." she said, tears streaming out of her hazel eyes. I picked her up and rubbed her back, humming a song my mother used to sing. She settled right in to my shoulder, the crying slowing down. I hated to sing but sang a nursery song I knew, hoping that would be enough. The crying stopped, and I could just hear her sniffling. "You're going to be okay, Lily." I said.

"Promise?" she asked.

"I promise." I confirmed. "Now, why don't you eat your ice cream, I will look at you and then you can go home. Does that sound good?"

She just nodded. I put her down on the bed and handed her ice cream to her. She started to eat it, making a little bit of a mess. I took her vitals subtly and she was fine. I turned to Harry, who was staring at me in gratification. This was my favorite part of the job.

"I can't even thank you enough for that." he said, "Saving me from having to ring her in France. Christ, marry me?" he joked.

I laughed. "I'll go get the discharge papers."

I returned to the Healers station. Brynne saw the discharge papers. "Oh, they're leaving already?"

"Yeah." I said. "No reason to keep her for observation."

"Oh." she answered. I felt like I'd done something wrong. I looked at her again, and she just waved me on. "You're doing everything right. Good work, again."

I nodded, and went back to them. Lily was dressed and nearly asleep on Harry. "All right, just a few signatures and you two can go home and get some much needed rest."

He signed, and picked her up. "Next time I see you, I promise it won't be because of one of my kids." he said.

"I'm off Saturday through Monday..." I whispered. He nodded. "I'll walk you two out." When we got outside, I waved them off.

"Thank you so much, Sadie." he said.

"Tank you." Lily echoed.

"Of course. I'll see you guys later. Feel better Lily!"

He apparated and they were gone.

I walked back up to the pediatric floor. Working with someone one on one like I had with both Al and Lily was definitely harder than working with a few people, and I was emotionally drained now too. But I felt good knowing that she had been in good hands. Brynne was waiting for me. "How do you feel?" she asked.

"About what?" I asked, confused.

"About how that went?" she asked. "Was he pleased with your care of her?"

"Uhm, yeah." I said, pouring myself a cup of coffee and grabbing a scone. She led me into the empty employee room. "I think he was exceptionally happy with it."

"Good." she said. We both sat down, and I drained my coffee cup. "He asked for you by name when he came in tonight with his daughter. By name, full name, Sadie. That is a very big deal."

It was a very big deal, but not as big as she thought. "Well, we do have some mutual friends, sort of dance around the same social group, Brynne." I said.

"Still." she said. "For someone so high profile to ask for you by full name because he was impressed with your care, that is a huge deal. I'm very pleased for you. I expect the head of pediatric Healing will be calling you for a visit next week."

"That's great." I said, feeling very proud of myself.

"If he comes in again, you'll be automatically put on him and his children." she said. "Okay?"

"Yeah." I answered. "They're really nice."

"Good." she said. "Your shift is over in ten- feel free to head out whenever."

I collected all of my stuff and waited for Cor to finish up whatever she was doing. Finally, she came down and we apparated to our flat.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note at the end!

Waiting for me at the window was an owl. It was beautiful, shiny and black and regal looking. I opened up the window and let him in. He sat on the table, pecking at some crumbs. He must have been waiting for awhile, so I tossed a few crackers to him.

"Who's the mail from?" Cor asked.

I knew who it was from. I just wasn't sure if I should tell Cor yet. It was true she was my best friend and we didn't keep secrets from each other, I just didn't want to get her excited for nothing. "Nothing." I said, tucking it in my pocket. She went to make some breakfast, but I went to my room. As soon as I'd shut my door, tugged my Healer robes off, and shrugged an old shirt of my brother's on, I took out the parchment. It was tied into a bow with a piece of green ribbon. I untied the ribbon and sat on the bed to read:

_Sadie,_

_The children will be returning to their mother's for the weekend beginning tomorrow night. Would you care to join me for a cup of coffee on Saturday morning? Also, I cannot thank you enough for the care you provided for L. _

_H. _

I smiled and put down the letter, grabbing some parchment of my own and writing: 

_H., _  
_Name a time and place and I will be there. _  
_Sadie. _

The owl I'd accidentally left in the kitchen knocked on my door and I let it in. I gave it the letter to take back to him, and rolled over to finally catch some sleep. 

It was around three o'clock in the afternoon when I finally woke up. The owl was back at my window, looking slightly annoyed I'd left him waiting. I got up and opened the window for him. I took the scroll from his mouth and opened it. 

_I will meet you at your flat at ten o'clock if that is alright with you. I am unsure if you're familiar with the _

_part of the city we will visit. _

It wasn't signed but it was in the same handwriting. I didn't really want him to come here in case Cor was around and asked questions. I sighed and tried to think of what to tell him. 

_Don't want to answer my roommate's questions, is it possible to meet at Hannah's? _

I sent it off with the bird, and got dressed. Cor was in the living room, watching TV. She looked tired.  
"Want to go out clubbing tonight?" she asked. "I'm bored." 

"I think I'll stay in." I said, going to make myself a sandwich. "And I think I will go shopping tomorrow." I wasn't the type to get a new outfit for every date, but the first date in three years was a big event. And I needed to get a few good summer outfits.

"Muggle clothing?" she asked. I sat on the couch and watched TV with her for awhile. I saw the brown owl approaching, and got up to let it in.

"Yeah, probably." I answered, I took the scroll out to read it, and fed the owl another cracker.

"Who is your pen pal today?" she asked, standing up. I didn't want her to read over my shoulder, so I didn't open it. "Secret boyfriend, maybe?" she laughed, trying to get it out of my hand. "Wait, I have a wand."

"_Please,_ Cor- no." I begged. "It's private- leave me alone." I knew the sound of sincerity in my voice would get her off my back. But it didn't- she just nudged me, trying to get it. "Leave me alone!" I said again, and stormed off into my room. The owl followed me. I opened the scroll, and sat down.

_Of course. I look forward to meeting you. Until then, H. _

I was still a little angry at Cor and I wanted to get out of the flat. I decided I would go get my hair cut. I was long over due for one, sick of split ends, and wanted to feel good about myself. I grabbed my wallet of Muggle money and headed out. I only ended up with about three inches of my long, brown hair cut off, but the scalp massage had left me feeling great. The next day was spent shopping and just feeling good about myself, something I hadn't felt in a really long time. If I knew having a simple coffee date would make me feel this good, I would've done it ages ago. I was trying to figure out what to wear for coffee- I didn't want to look too dressy but I wanted to look nice. I figured a pair of jeans and a nice shirt would be fine- it was sleeveless and ruched. I still hadn't made up with Cor after out little tiff and felt kind of bad, but that was overpowered by excitement for my date. I was on my way out when she came out of her bedroom.

"Sadie." she said. "I'm really sorry about yesterday. I was just playing around and I didn't realize you were serious. I'm sorry."

"I overreacted." I supplied. "I'm sorry too."

She perked up now that she was forgiven. "Want to go out for breakfast or something then?" she asked, pouring herself some coffee.

"I have plans, actually, maybe tomorrow." I said. "I'll be back later." I was nervous as I walked down the road to the Leaky. I hoped I wasn't too early- and too late would be bad too. I didn't want to come off as tardy. And I was nervous that I'd worn the wrong clothing, or that my hair looked bad let down, or that I'd say the wrong thing. I walked into the Leaky, and it was almost empty. Harry stood off in one of the corners, talking to Hannah. When he saw me, he started walking towards me. Hannah caught my eye and nodded, and I acknowledged her back. I hoped she was okay that we were going out, because she obviously knew what was happening now. "Hello." I said, as he approached me. He swooped down and kissed my cheek.

"Hi, Sadie." he said. "Fancy some tea and a walk around the park?"

"Sounds great." I said, grinning. He took my arm and we walked out the Muggle exit.

"I hope you don't mind hanging out in this part of London today. It's just so much easier." he said, leading me towards the park. "And prettier."

"Yeah, it's fine." I told him. "I actually grew up just outside the city, so I know my way around pretty well."

"That's right." he said. "I forgot, I'm sorry. Well, hopefully you like where I'm taking you, and if not, I'm sure we can find somewhere."

We were quiet while he led us. I guessed we would probably go to the small French bakery down the street. That was fine by me, it was quaint and had good stuff. And I was hungry. I was right, he led me into the bakery. It smelled of baking bread and sweet jam and coffee. "Order whatever you like." he said, nudging me up in line. I ordered a coffee and baguette, which I knew would come with fresh butter and jam. He ordered the same, except a tea, and two extra stale baguettes for us to feed to the ducks. We went over to the counter and fixed our drinks. He put two sugars into his, and I put two creams and two sugars. "To the park?" he asked.

I nodded. We walked across the street to the park, where we scouted out a spot under a tree for us to eat. It was near the pond, but far enough away that we wouldn't be attacked by any rogue ducks. We didn't talk much, but we already knew a bit about each other. It wouldn't be a typical first date. "How's Lily?" I asked, as we buttered the bread up.

"She's... okay." he said. "It scared her."

"I've been worrying about her." I admitted. The sun was warm on my body and it made me feel warm all over. The park was mostly empty, except for the few people who would amble down this path. They mostly smiled at us, nodded, and moved on.

"That's sweet." he said. "I think she'll be fine. I'm just not sure why that happened, this time, you know..."

"Maybe you should bring her to a Muggle doctor?" I suggested. "They know tons about seizures- far more than any Healer at St. Mungo's, and they might be able to give her some medicine that'll better control her seizures."

"Ginny would never spring for it." he said, angrily. "So maybe I'll take it into my own hands."

"Anyways, I don't want to bore you with medical talk."

"No, it's fine." he said. "It's really interesting."

"Is it weird to not have your kids with you after having them for so long?"

He shrugged. "I miss them, but I'm really glad for a break." he said. "Two and a half weeks... that's a really long time. I have them during the week and they go to their mother's on the weekend usually, though Teddy is home some weekends. He's fine though, I don't have to entertain him, he takes care of the other kids, he's just a good kid to have around. But yeah, it's been really nice to not have to break up any rows between Al and Jay, or clean up any messes that Lily's made..." We both chuckled. "It's good to be _here_."

"Yeah." I agreed. "It's good to get out. I think it's been far too long since either of us got out to see... people." He nodded, and pushed his sleeves up, then started to look at me with that blazing look in his eyes. I wasn't sure if he was going to try and kiss me or what, but I stood up, and offered my hand to him. "Let's go feed the ducks."

He followed me and we stood at the edge of the pond, throwing bread into the waters until the ducks and geese came to eat it. We got into a silence, and I couldn't tell if it was awkward or not. For a few minutes, I was doubtful of the actual goings of the date. I was having a good time, but it wasn't great. I spotted a hill, that sloped off behind the pond.

"Let's go roll down the hill." I suggested. He looked confused. 

"What?" he asked. 

"You've never rolled down a hill?" I asked him. 

"No..." he muttered, looking skeptical. "I haven't..." 

"It's really easy." I said, taking his hand and dragging him over. "Just do it like this," I got down the ground, flat on my side, and started to roll. "Just go with it!" I yelled, as I saw him get down and do the same. I got grass in my mouth and my hair was flying all over, but it was fun. I eventually stopped, just short of a tree. He was a little bit behind me, but caught up because he weighed more, and bumped into me. I was laughing so hard tears were streaming down my face, and he joined in with me. This felt way better. 

"Thank you for showing me how to roll down a hill." he said, laughing. We were still laying down, slightly on top of each other. His face moved closer to mine, and one of his hands took my chin. "I'm

going to kiss you." he whispered. 

"Okay." I said, locking eyes with him. He brought his lips to mine, and it was a chaste kiss. I looped my hands around his neck and pulled him back to me. His tongue licked my bottom lip, and I opened up my mouth for him. I was self conscience, my mouth probably tasted like strawberry jam. His other hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me into him. His lips were slightly stubbly and scratched my face, but in a way that was not bad. He was a great kisser, my head was spinning and I felt a rush of giddiness. He pulled back to breathe. "That was amazing." I said, catching my own breath. 

"Mmhm." he said. His glasses were askew, and his eyes were closed in the sun, but he had a lazy, happy grin on his face. I giggled, and he wrapped an arm around me. "It's been way too long since I had a good snog." he proclaimed. He stood up and wrapped one arm around me. He smelled amazing, and it didn't help my giddiness. He took my hand and led me off to one section of the park. "I like the living statues." he said, as we passed a few people trying. We passed the artists, offering cheap sketches and portraits. Then it looked like a little flea market, with people selling pocket books, scarves and jewelery. We went over and perused the little aisles. I picked up a locket that was on one of the tables. It was silver, with a vine of roses decorating it. "How much for that?" he asked the vendor, an old woman with scraggly gray hair. 

"Fifteen pounds." she croaked in a gravelly voice. He opened his wallet and paid for it. We walked away from the tables. 

"Thank you." I said, squeezing his hand. He had paid for everything today. "I will pay next time." I offered, and waited to see his reaction. 

"Actually," he said. "I had a kind of... different idea for next time. Would you care to join me for dinner tomorrow, at my house?" 

"At yours?" I asked. I hadn't thought about that- but it sounded fun. "That sounds awesome." 

"Normally, I get my kids back Sunday nights but I insisted Ginny keep them." he admitted. "Does filet mignon sound good for dinner? You're not a vegetarian or anything, are you?" 

"No, gods no. I couldn't survive without meat." 

He nodded happily. "Good." he said. "Would you like me to help you put that necklace on?" I handed him the box and we stood on a corner so he could do it. He brushed my hair out of the way, then clasped it. "Looks good." 

We continued to walk back towards the Leaky, so I sensed the date was coming to a close. "So tomorrow..." he started, "Where should we meet? Same place? Don't want to tell your roommate?" 

"Cor is... excitable." I said. "I didn't want to tell her and get her excited over nothing, when I didn't know if the date would go well or if it would end terribly, so I just didn't even go there. Sort of like your kids, right?" 

"Oh, yeah." he agreed, nodding. "I don't want to get them involved until it's serious." I totally understood- they had enough drama through Ginny, they didn't need me complicating their life. "I mean, it's not like we're seventeen, the relationship is either going to be serious or it's not, so it won't be ages, but I'd like to keep them out of it for a little while." 

"I totally understand." I said. "If things get to that point, I'd like to be a positive person, not a negative thing in their lives. But I'll probably tell Cor after tomorrow. I don't like keeping secrets from my best friend." 

He nodded and gave me the okay. "Anyways, I had a lovely time, but I think I should let you go here. I don't want to deal with Hannah again." 

I leaned up on my tiptoes to kiss him, and then we said goodbye.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading, everyone! I'm really grateful to everyone who's been reading, favoriting, and putting me on their alert system. It's really nice to see that people like the story. I've responded to every review I've gotten (except for The Reader with No Name- I really wish I could personally thank you!) because it means so much to me that you've taken the time to respond. So, if you'd like to ask any questions about the story or comment on anything, just letting you know I read and respond to every one. Next chapter will be Monday or Tuesday (8/1 or 8/2). Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note at the end!

I was happy and bouncy and really glad I did had gone on the date. As I walked through the Leaky, Hannah stopped me. "Come here." she said. I turned around and was a little afraid of what she might have to say to me. I turned around and met her at the counter. 

"Hi." I greeted her. 

"So you two are..." she trailed off, "going out now?" 

"Well, not official or anything." I said. "He hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend or any shite like that, but we have plans for a second date." 

I could see her mulling it over, and then she nodded. "I think you're good for each other." she said. "I approve. Just don't hurt him. I know you won't- I just need to say it." 

"Okay." I said. "I won't. We're both on the same page, Hannah. I think we'll be fine." 

She nodded. "All right." 

"I need two slices of chocolate cake for tomorrow night." I told her. "I'll pick them up around five." 

"He likes treacle tart better." she told me. 

"Or that. Thanks." 

Cor was still at the apartment, on the couch, just like I'd left her. I tried to not look so overly happy, as I knew it would raise some concerns to her. "You weren't wearing that necklace when you left." she observed. "Where'd you get it?" 

"I was wearing it." I lied, pouring myself a glass of water. 

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I've never seen it before..." 

"Yeah." I said. "It was a gift." I went and cleaned my room, then played with Sam for a bit. I called my mum, but also did not want to tell her about Harry until after our second date. I made plans to have lunch with her Monday and would probably tell her then. I was killing time. 

"Let's go out and have fun." Cor said, coming into my room. "I stayed in last night, but tonight I want to go dance." 

I didn't. I was most likely done going to dance clubs for now, not that it was a big loss for me. I didn't

find the loud, hot, mosh pits as fun as Cor did. "You can go, but I'm staying in." I said. 

"I don't want to go alone. What if I get picked up by some crazy person?" she asked. She was starting to make me feel guilty, but I had to stay strong. 

"You're going to end up going home with some bloke, no matter who is with you, Cor." I pointed out.  
She laughed and nodded. "Okay, that's probably true. But it's so much easier to go with someone else. You could use a little fun- what do you have against a night out with some meaningless fun?"

I shrugged. "I just don't want to." I said. "But please, don't stay in for me, go out..."

"Do you want to go catch a film or something? I just don't want to sit on the couch for another night."

"Fine." I said. We caught some chick flick downtown, but I wasn't really into it.

"What is up with you?" Cor asked. "You're so secretive and private and... it's just not like you. Is everything okay?"

I shrugged it off and weighed the option of telling her now, but still wasn't sure if that was a good idea. "Everything is fine. I'll tell you later."

I tried to avoid her until the date, so I wouldn't be pissy to her. I got dressed, putting on a sundress I bought. It had spaghetti straps and showed a little cleavage, but I decided it wasn't slutty. I put my hair into a big braid, and slipped on some strappy sandals. I thought I looked good. I was still wearing my locket. I locked my door in case Cor got too curious, and then left.

"Where are you going?" Cor asked.

"Out." I said. "I'll be back later. Don't wait up."

"What is going on?" she asked. I could tell she was really getting annoyed. She stood up and stood in front of the door.

"I will tell you when I get home." I said. "Now, I have to be somewhere. I'll see you later."

I picked up the dessert from Hannah, and waited for him to come pick me up. "Someone looks pretty." Hannah noted, smiling.

"Thanks." I said, blushing. Someone came out of the Floo and I turned around to see him standing there. "Hello."

"Hey." he said. He waved to Hannah and grabbed my arm. "Alright if we use the Floo?"

"Yeah." I said. I grabbed onto him and he led me into the fireplace.

On the other side of fireplace, I stepped out into a living room. It was large room with a high ceilings. Late afternoon sun streamed in through the windows at the front of the house, and the walls were painted a cozy dark orange. There was a large stone fireplace, a large cozy couch, two arm chairs and a piano in the living room, along with a few bookshelves and family pictures scattered around. There was a large doorway that led into a dining room, and next to that was the kitchen. Through the other doorway was a hallway, that led to a breezeway where the front door was, and also the staircase that must have led to the bedrooms. A door next to the front door was shut, but might have been a closet or an office or something. "This house is beautiful." I said.

He nodded. "We've tried to make it our own. It's a little messy, but it's the kids' house, really." he led me into the kitchen, where things were cooking on the stove. The kitchen had great large windows, that looked out onto the back fields, a large field with a set up for Quidditch, flower gardens, and a back patio with a table on it. Off the kitchen was a pantry and a small bathroom.

"I brought dessert." I said, handing him the box of treacle tart. He placed it in the ice box. "It's treacle tart."

"My favorite." he said. "Thank you." He kissed me and then went back to working on dinner. I looked around the kitchen, taking it all in. It was a really quaint house. On the ice box, paintings were stuck. They were obviously by Lily. He saw me staring at them. "Lily likes to paint." he said, laughing.

I'm not sure exactly what they are..." I admitted.

"I'm not sure either, but they mean something to her." he said. On the fridge there was also a picture of all of them on some tropical beach. "That was our holiday last year. I take a week off every August and take them somewhere before they go back to school."

"That's exciting." I said. "Where's the trip to this year?"

"We're going to Egypt for a week." he said. "The week after my birthday."

"When's that?" I asked.

"Thirty first of July." he said. It was the last week of June, so that was a few weeks off. He was stirring the vegetables. "Would you care for some wine?"

"Wine would be nice." I told him. "And how old will you be on the thirty first of July?" I teased. I was sitting on a stool.

"Could you get two wine glasses out of the cupboard to the left of the ice box?" I got up and opened the cabinet. On the first few shelves were plastic cups for the children, sippy cups for Lily, commemorative cups from Quidditch games for the older boys. I bent down and plucked two wine goblets off the bottom shelf. I handed them to him. "Thanks. I'll be... thirty four." he sighed. He was a little less than seven years older than me.. "I'm a bit older than you." He was almost embarrassed, I put my arm on his.

"I'll be twenty eight in October." I said. "And we're both adults now- it doesn't really matter."

"I know." he said. "Sometimes I just worry, that when people hear about us they might judge us because we have an age difference."

"Harry," I said, accepting the glass of wine from him, "People judge you every time you leave your house. Don't you think an age difference is a relatively harmless thing? It's not like you're dating a nineteen year old, you're dating a twenty seven year old woman with a career and an apartment and a cat." I leaned in and kissed him, running my fingers through his fringe.

"You're right." he whispered. He pulled away and was finishing up dinner. "Can you get me two plates, the cabinet next to the glasses?" I got out two white plates. They were square and fancy, and on top of what looked like a supply of mismatched, random plates. "Ah, good, my nice plates." he said. He arranged the food on our plates. "Mind if we eat outside?"

"Sounds great." I carried the wine glasses out and he brought the food. We sat at the little table on his patio, looking at the beautiful fields behind his house. It was just barely dusk, so he lit a few candles, and was playing some soft music, but I didn't know where it was coming from. He bent down to put a candle below the table, and his shirt rode up. I could see some black markings on him. "You have a tattoo?" I asked.

"Oh?" he asked. "Oh, yeah. I have a few. One for my all my kids and one to remember my parents. Do you want to see?" I had just taken a bite of the delicious food so I just nodded. He unbuttoned the crisp, white button down shirt, and shrugged it off. He was lean and his muscles were toned, but he certainly wouldn't be a weight lifter. His chest had a little hair spattered on it, and a trail of dark hair from his belly button that disappeared into his jeans. He seemed to have no problem being half naked and he was definitely nice to look at. He had scars across his chest and shoulders. "This is all of my kids' handprints and names." it was across the side of his torso. Ted Remus, James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna, along with four very tiny hand prints. It was really a work of art, and there was a little room at the bottom.

"Extra room?" I asked.

"Just in case." he said. He stood up and turned around. Right above the waistband of his jeans was a golden Snitch. I knew he played Quidditch, but I didn't know it was that important for him. He got closer to me, and I read that it said 'i open at the close' "Albus Dumbledore gave me something that said that and it let me see my parents before I defeated Voldemort."

Wow, that was really sentimental. I ran my hand over the writing on his smooth skin. He shuddered from the contact. "It's really, really beautiful." I said. He put his shirt back on and buttoned it halfway, and sat down to eat. "This food is amazing. You're a really good cook."

"Thank you." he said, looking pleased with himself.

"So, you want more kids?" I asked, just curious about it. 

"Right now, I think I've got as many as I can handle." he said. "Wait, this question is hard to answer. I mean, I don't know whether to answer as if we were planning, or just in general... it's all circumstance." 

"Sorry." I admitted. "I did kind of leave that open. I know we're only on the second date but... it seems like something I should know, you know?" 

"Oh- I agree completely." he said. "We should talk about that sort of important stuff. So, I will just say it as if with you. Right now, I have as many kids as I can handle. But maybe in a couple years, once Al's in school, and Teddy's out, and Lily's seizures are a little better controlled, I would definitely consider having another kid. But then again, I don't want to do what Ginny's done and act like my new child is more important. I want my kids- all of them, to know that they are the most important things to me." I nodded and absorbed that. "What about you?" 

"I..." I thought about it. "I would love to have a child. But I don't feel any pressure to have one _now_. I am really happy in my career right now and stopping to go on maternity leave and to properly take care of my body right now would interfere. I love what I do and it means a lot to me. I still have about twelve safe years to have a child- and in three, four, five years I can see myself taking a year off to have a baby." 

"It sounds like we're on sort of the same page." he said. "And you're right, there really is no rush for stuff like that. I'm still young... enough to chase a little kid around." 

"Definitely. You're plenty fit." I told him. 

"You're not so bad to look at yourself either." he said. I laughed and nudged him with my toes. He grinned at me. It was getting dark, and everything was lit up with rich, warm orange tones. As I finished the asparagus, I put down my fork and wiped my mouth. 

"That was definitely one of the best meals a bloke has ever made for me." I said. "And far better than anything I could have made myself." 

"Well, I'm glad." he admitted. "You're definitely the best company I've kept, so I'd say it was an equal trade." We sat there in silence and watched the sky get darker. Birds were flying around the field, chasing each other around. "Have you ever just stopped and watched the sun set?" 

"I am now." I whispered. I was so happy to be here. He'd made a really nice dinner and now we were enjoying nice wine. I felt so spoiled by him, but at the same time he treated me as an equal. He refilled my wine glass, but not his. 

"Some of us have to work in the morning..." he explained. The sun went behind the trees and it was completely dark. The only light was from the candles. "Want to go inside to eat dessert?"

"Yes." I said. I got up and put the dishes in the sink. "Do you want me to wash the dishes?"

"Nah." he said. "I'll get to them later. Come on." We sat in the living room on the couch, right next to each other. I kicked off my shoes and put my feet on the couch and leaned on him. We ate it in near silence.

"Who is the piano for?"

"Teddy." he said. "He's amazing at piano. He taught himself." I looked around at the pictures that were on the walls and tables- all of the children doing things they loved. Teddy was a musician, that was easy to see. There were plenty of pictures of James flying, so I took it he inherited the Quidditch gene. Lily's artwork was hung up in several places.

"What does Albus do?" I asked, looking at the pictures.

"He reads." he murmured into my ear. "And he hates the camera..." As I finished my tart, I knew there were two options for the rest of the night. Either he would be a gentleman and let me go with a quick snog, or we would end up in his bed. I was definitely not ready for sex, so I guessed it was the first one. He leaned over, grabbed my face in his hands, and kissed me. He was such a talented kisser, his lips making me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. He nudged me to straight out my legs, and he was on top of me. He knew how to balance his weight so I wasn't crushed. His lips trailed down my neck and ear, sucking on my neck. "Are you giving me a hickey?" I asked, laughing as his tongue found my neck.

He laughed. "I can if you want me to." he said, running a hand through my hair. He plucked out the elastic, and ran his fingers through it, unlacing the braid. He was nuzzling my neck. "You smell so damn good, Sadie. I can't even tell you." I ran my hand down his chest, feeling the firmness and solidity of his body. He put his arms on my waist and his lips trailed down my neck onto my chest. I wrapped a leg around his waist, pulling us together. The was the deciding part. He laughed for no reason, stopped kissing me, and rested his head on my chest.

"What's wrong?" I asked, panicked. Was he laughing at me? "What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing, Sadie." he said, "I'm just letting myself get carried away. I've got a lovely looking woman in front of me and it's a bit hard to control myself, you know?"

I nodded with him, and began to catch our breath. He got off me, and pulled a blanket off the back of the couch to wrap around me because I'd broken out in goosebumps. He pulled me into his arms, and we cuddled a little. I felt so safe in his arms. He was humming, as he rested his chin on my shoulder. I thought I might fall asleep here. "I should go." I announced, quietly. "You have to work tomorrow."

"No, don't." he said.

"I know." I said. "I'm sorry."

He stood up and I slid off of him. "Maybe we could go out for coffee or lunch one day this week? Are you working days or nights?"

"Nights." I said. "So I'll be around. That sounds great, you can write me and we'll work something out."

"Good." he nodded.

"I have a question..." I told him. "I'm having lunch with my Mum tomorrow... and I'm just not sure what to tell her, exactly."

"That you have a boyfriend." he said, like it was the plainest thing in the world. I broke out into a big smile and he did too. "Okay?" 

Absolutely." I nodded. "I'm going to Floo to my flat. I need to tell Cor now."

"Okay." he said, and pressed a kiss into my hair. "G'night, Sadie."

"Night."

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has read, favorited, and put it on alert. It means so much to me. I have up to chapter twelve written now, so updates should come quickly. Once again, thank you to my reviewers who I'm unable to personally write back to, and thank you to all who reviewed the story so far. Next chapter update will be on Wednesday! Thanks for reading and don't forget to review.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note at the end!

I Floo'd into the flat and Cor was still on the couch.

"You have a boyfriend." she accused. "I get it now. That explains the happy go lucky, freshly shagged look you've been wearing, the reluctance to go out and socialize with some men, the secrets, the owls, the lockets that show up out of no where, the mussing of your hair..."

I should have known she would have figured it out. "Yes." I said, lamely. "I do."

Her lips turned upward and she smiled. "Well, who is it? Details! I can't believe you kept this from me." I was happy that she was, well, happy.

I sat down. "Guess." I was going to make her work for it. She was very instinctual, she could figure it out.

"Let me see one of the love letters he wrote, then I can guess."

I summoned one. It was the one that said _Of course. I look forward to meeting you. Until then, H. _The last one. She read it. "Henry downstairs?" she asked, referring to the old man who lived a floor below us. She looked skeptical.

"Eww, Cor! He's like fifty!" I said, giggling with her.

"Hank, that man who flirted with you at the club last month?"

"I don't even remember who that is." I admitted.

"Do I know him?" she asked, looking exasperated.

"Of course." I said. "I mean, not well..."

She was thinking hard, I could tell. "There's only one other person we both know who's name begins with an H and if you are dating him then I am about to freak the fuck out."

I nodded slowly, and watched her realize what this meant. "Yes."

"Holy SHITE!" she yelled. "You're dating Harry _bleeding _Potter?" She stood up and looked crazy.

"Quiet down, the whole street doesn't need to know!" I said, and got up to slam my windows shut.

"Well, when did he ask you out? How many times have you gone out? Is he good in bed? Do his kids know?" she fired off quickly. "This is so crazy! I am an awful best friend for not noticing, and you are an awful best friend for not telling me!" 

"When he was at the hospital with Lily we stayed up for awhile and talked about... well, just our lives and he asked me to go for coffee. I told him I couldn't accept but that if he wrote me later I would consider it. So he wrote me, and we went for coffee and breakfast yesterday in the park, then we walked around and he bought me the necklace." 

"That's so sweet and romantic." she said. 

"And then he invited me to his house for dinner today." I told her.

"To his house?" she asked, "His private house? You went to Harry Potter's HOUSE?"

I laughed. "Yes, Cor."

"Well what did you do there?" she asked.

"He made me dinner and we sat on his back patio and ate it and watched the sun set and talked. And then went inside and snogged and snuggled." I thought back to it, and mostly wished I was still there on his couch with him, in his big, strong arms.

She just about died. "But how is he in bed?" she asked.

"Oh- Gods no, we haven't even remotely thought about going that far." I told her. "He hasn't even felt me up yet!"

"What are you waiting for? You two are old, get into his bed!"

I snorted. "Thanks, Cor. We're going to wait, but thanks."

"Oh my God, Sadie." she said, sitting down on the couch. "I cannot even believe this. This is CRAZY. Do you know who he is? I mean, of course you know who he is- but can you believe you're really doing this?"

"I know this may be hard to believe..." I said trying to think about how I could put it, "But being with him isn't the whole celebrity experience. It's being with a man who's been through a lot of shite, really, really love his kids, and wants to find someone who makes him happy."

"I'm happy for you, really." she said, grinning. "This is just crazy."

"I know." I admitted. "It is. But I have a really good feeling about this. And I need to ask you a huge favor for us." Us. It was such a little word but held so much meaning and I got to say it! Cor was rubbing off on me.

"Anything." she promised.

"Don't tell anyone." I said.

Her face fell. "How am I supposed to do that? Sadie, you know me better than that!"

"Cor, you have to promise." I begged. "Between the press, and his kids, and work- they can't know anything until we're ready to tell them. So you have to promise. I'm going to tell Mum, but she won't tell anyone important, and that's it. It's kind of a big deal. You wouldn't want to ruin this relationship for me, would you Cor?"

"No." she agreed. "I'll do my best."

"Thank you." I was tired and ready for bed.

"Does he have any single friends?" she asked. "I could do well with an attractive older man."

I just laughed. "Good night, Cor." I was afraid of what my mother might say, but tried to push it to the back of my mind. I would just wait until lunch tomorrow.

The first thing my mother told me was that I looked happy. "It suits you. I don't know what you're doing, but you look better. Your hair looks nice, your face is clear, you seem awake. And you're wearing jewelery. It works for you." she announced.

"Well, actually, Mum, I have something to tell you."

"You're not pregnant." she said.

"No!" I shouted. "God, Mum."

She laughed. "Okay, good. What is it then?"

"I'm seeing a man." I announced. I felt so very grown up saying that- it was very mature. Though, the fact that I thought it was mature probably meant I sounded ridiculous.

"Oh!" she said happily, clapping her hands together. "How wonderful. Tell me about him!"

"Well." I said, trying to think about how I could explain it best. "What do you want to know?"

"Just tell me about him." she prompted. "How long have you been going out, how did you two meet, how old is he, what does he do?"

"Well, I met him through work actually. He's kind of... famous, in my society. He ended the war, a few years back. But two of his children ended up in the hospital last week and because he has donated some money to the hospital he got a private Healer for his children and he got me. And so we ended up talking and really liking each other- we have some mutual friends, and so eventually he asked me out. We've gone on a couple dates and he asked me to be his girlfriend."

I looked at her face, I knew that to her he was not my ideal mate, but her face still looked calculating. "He has children?" she asked. "How many?"

"Four." I said. "Three boys and one girl."

"How old?' she asked.

"Well, his god son is fifteen, his two sons are twelve and ten, and his daughter is three." I said. "But his god son lives with him most of the time. He's a really amazing dad to them all."

"So he is older than you?"

"He's thirty three." I said. "Not that much older."

"What happened to the kids' mother?"

"

Well, Harry- that's his name, and his ex-wife were... basically high school sweet hearts, got married, he works in law enforcement and she was an athlete, did the kids thing. They just couldn't get along very well and rowed a lot, I don't know the details, but they ended up getting divorced three years ago and he hasn't dated anyone since, until me." I said. "They have an okay relationship and share custody of the children, but she is remarried and already has another baby."

"He has had a sad life." Mum said. "He treats you well, though? He is nice?"

"Very." I said. "Last night he made me dinner and we watched the sun set and talked about where we see our lives going and we have similar goals we want to achieve. I think it's going to be good."

"Do his children know?" she asked curiously, playing with the napkin holder. We'd gone to a small cafe restaurant just outside the neighborhood where I grew up. My mum didn't look much like me- she had the strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes that my siblings had. I looked more like my dad, who had the dark brown hair and light eyes.

"They do not." I said. "We really haven't been going out long so we decided to wait awhile, just to make sure it's all going well and we're serious. I think we will be, though. We have a really good understanding of each other. And his children are amazing- they're all so different, but they are just really sweet children. I like them a lot- they have manners and character and talent. I really like them."

"If he makes you happy, and you will settle down, then I am happy for you." she said. "Will you have children with this man?"

The grandchildren question, of course. My brother and sister had both warned me about it, but I had only received hints at it until now. I hadn't been with anyone since I was too young to have children in her opinion.

"Eventually, Mum." I said. "I may have one. He has enough children right now and we are both young. I am happy with my career right now and a baby would ruin that. Plus, you know, it's generally advised to be at the very least, engaged before we start trying for a baby."

"Good." she said. Mum had always supported me in pursuing a career, even if she didn't really understand what I did. She just knew that it was important to me and I liked what I did. She had never really had a career, other than doing secretary work for my father's law office. "I would like to meet him when it is convenient for us all."

"Of course." I said. "I'm sure you will meet him soon."

"Your brother's wedding, in a few weeks, would be a great time." she announced. My younger brother Jack was marrying his long time girlfriend Maggie, who he already had a child with, in a few weeks. It was the first weekend of August, if I remembered correctly, which meant that Harry would probably be away.

"He may be away." I said. "The first week of August he's taking his children to Egypt for a holiday. I will invite him to it, though."

"Good." she said. "I look forward to it. When will you see him again?"

"We're going to go out to lunch this week. He has kind of an... important job, so it's just a matter of figuring out the schedule."

She nodded, and smiled. That went well, it wasn't perfect but it went well. After lunch, I walked home and hoped to catch a nap before work. There was an owl waiting on the table, but it was a different owl. I opened the letter:

_I miss you. Wish we could have had more time together last night. Would you be willing to meet for a quick cup of coffee after I leave work today?_

_H._

I smiled, I missed him too. We really hadn't known each other that long, but being around him made me feel happy, warm, and secure. I knew we couldn't meet for a long time today because I would have to come back to change into my Healer robes and he would have to get home to his children, but I welcomed the chance of getting to see him.

_Of course. Where would you like me to meet you? -Sadie. _

I laid down for an hour to take a nap, and then would get up to go meet him. However, when I woke up, I was running about twenty minutes late. I threw on a pair of jeans and a tank top and hoped I looked okay enough. I went and got the note from the owl, who looked angry for waiting so long. I slipped on sandals, and looked at it.

_The coffee shop across from Leaky at five fifteen. See you then. _

It was ten past five, so I ran all the way to the Leaky and then into the Muggle world. It was after five fifteen when I got there, and I hoped he wasn't angry. He sat in the back on a love seat, his legs crossed and his eyes scanning the little coffee shop. When he saw me, he stood up. "Sadie." he murmured, as he pulled me in for a kiss. I normally hated public displays of affection, but right now, I didn't care about anyone other than us. After about thirty seconds, he pulled away and I felt sad. "I'm so glad you could come." he said, his voice warm on my skin.

"Me too." I said, smiling. He ordered a tea for himself and a cup of coffee for me.

"We don't have much time. I told Teddy I got held up at work and I would be home before six." he said. "So we have a little less than half an hour." He checked the silver watch on his arm.

"That's fine." I said. "I have to go get ready for work, too. And I'm sorry I was late- I completely overslept."

"Don't worry about it." he said, running his hands up and down my arms. We sat down on the love seat, his arms around me. "All day, I just felt... like I needed to see you. It was really overwhelming...in a good kind of way."

"That's really sweet." I said. "I'm glad you wrote me."

"How did telling your mum go?" he asked, curiously.

"Fine." I said. "She's happy that I'm happy. She'd like to meet you. She tried to convince me to take you to my brother's wedding, but I think you'll be away that week, so it doesn't matter."

"When is it?" he asked.

"August fourth." I said.

"Yeah, we'll be in Egypt. I'm sorry, Sadie." he said, and looked genuinely sad. "We'll figure something out, I would really like to meet your family."

"Thanks." I said. "And Cor was... quite excited."

He smiled. "I imagined she would be." he said.

"First, she yelled around a bit- I had to shut all the windows so the people down the street wouldn't hear. Then she was really happy for me, and then she asked if you had any single friends."

He laughed pretty hard. "Well, unfortunately, no." he said. "But you can tell her I'll keep my eye out for her."

"She will appreciate that." I joked, and a smile spread across my face. "She's very happy for me. And I'm very happy too."

"Uhm, actually, I have something I'd like to invite you to."

"Really?" I asked, my mind soaring, wondering what kind of thing.

"It has some... conditions, and if you don't want to go, I will understand and that's fine." he said. "Jay's birthday is this weekend so I'm throwing him a bit of a party at my house. It's mostly family, with a few of his friends, but that alone is a big crowd. And... well, we couldn't tell anyone you were my girlfriend, because it is mostly Ginny's family plus the kids will be there and I don't want them to know yet. I know you probably don't want to hang out at my house when we can't be together, I just thought that maybe it would be a good opportunity for you to know the kids a little better?"

"Yeah." I said, thinking about that. I was elated he asked me to go, but at the same time I was very nervous. "I'll come- I mean, Hannah will be there, right?"

"Oh, yeah. She'll be there, so you'll have some people to talk to and mingle with."

"I'd like to come then." I said. "What should I get him?"

"I am going shopping for him on Saturday, you'll come with me and we can figure it out then?" he asked.  
"This sounds great." I told her. "I'm really excited about this."

"Good." he said. He looked at his watch, we only had a few minutes left, which we spent snogging on the couch. "All right." he said, pulling away reluctantly. "I don't want to leave but I don't want to make Teddy worry, so I should probably get going. Maybe we could meet up tomorrow?"

"Staff meeting on Tuesday nights." I said. "Probably not going to happen... but if you write me tomorrow we can figure something out for later this week."

He nodded, and we walked across the street. "This is where I leave you." he said, and kissed me again. "I'll talk to you later."

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! I've hit 1000 hits on this story, so I posted the next chapter a bit early to celebrate! I appreciate all of the support so far- I've almost 30 people signed up for alerts and 15 favorites! That really inspires me to write more- so keep reviewing and the updates will come even faster! Next update on Friday!


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Note at the end!  
~~~~~~~~~

I went off and got ready for work. I just felt like I was in a bubble of happiness, and it was great. I felt like nothing could bring be down. Well, sick children did but a damper on things, but I was still way happier than I was before.

Brynne noticed I was in a good mood, but she thought it had to do with my impending promotion. Harry and I hadn't been able to work out a time that would work for us to meet up- staff meetings and birthday party planning and his kids got in the way. He offered to have me over after his kids were asleep, but I didn't want to take away his time from them. Plus, he had to work in the morning. Thursday, as I was nearly over with my shift, Brynne pulled me aside. "Healer Browning wants to see you in her office." she said. "Go get 'em!"

I laughed, and walked nervously down the hall to Healer Browning's office. She was an older woman who had been working in the department since it had opened fifty years before. I was a little afraid of her. I stood in front of her door for a minute, collecting my courage before raising my hand to knock on it. "Come in, Lewis." She also called everyone by their last name. She sat at her desk, her now gray hair pulled back into a tight bun. "Sit down, Lewis." she said. "How are you?"

"Well." I said, "Thank you. Yourself?"

"Fine, fine." she said. "Healer Marquee tells me you assisted Harry Potter on two occasions last week?"

"Yes." I said. "His children, actually."

"Same. That he asked for you by name the second time he came in?"

"Yes." I said. "He did."

"That's a very big honor." she told me, looking sternly. "That shows you have a lot of potential as a Healer. To impress such a high profile client, especially when it comes to his children, shows great talent."

"Thank you." I said.

"Marquee is also impressed with how you worked under pressure and through an especially long shift, and therefore I am too."

"Thank you."

"You have been interning here for seven years and working for staff for five, yes?"

"Yes." I nodded.

"I think it is time for you to be offered a role higher up. It is obvious you provide excellent care, while balancing stress, exhaustion, and priorities. These are perfect qualities for a head Healer." she said. "You would take a pay raise of two galleons an hour, and get a shift that is more regular- in particular, we would like you to work the normal day time hours, approximately eight in the morning until six at night, four days a week."

"Wow." I said.

"It is a large decision, I know." she told me. "It wouldn't be fair to make you decide right now, so I will give you until Monday to weigh your options. However, I must admit, I would be very pleased if you would accept it."

"Thank you." I said.

"Good work, Lewis." she said. "Now go enjoy your weekend, and I will see you on Monday."

I left the office, and went to collect my things. Brynne stopped me as I was about to walk out. "How'd it go?"

"She offered me the promotion." I said. "Just like you had guessed."

"Congratulations!" she said. "Did you accept it?"

"She's giving me until Monday to decide." I told her. "I'm going to think about it over the weekend and have a decision for Monday." I was excited, but tired and really wanted to give a good think about it. I wanted to tell Harry and talk to him and get his advice, and maybe see what Cor had to say about it.

"Okay." she said. "If you, uhm, need any advice on the descision, you can contact me."

"Thanks, Brynne." I said.

"So, go have a nice weekend. I'll see you Monday."

I walked home, it was Friday morning, and I just wanted to sleep. I decided to get some breakfast at the Leaky, because I was starving and definitely didn't feel like eating any burnt toast. Hannah wasn't at the counter, but I sat down anyways and waited. She was probably just in the back doing something. I waited for a few minutes, and finally she came out front. "Oh, hey Sadie!" she said, really loudly. "Your boyfriend's in the back- go say hi! I'll get you your usual." She jerked a thumb at the curtain to one of the private rooms in the back.

Harry was here? I got up and went through the curtain to the storage closet. Harry stood there, writing down something on a piece of parchment. He looked up and saw me. "Sadie!" he said, "What are you doing here?"

"I was just getting a quick breakfast and Hannah told me to come back here." I explained. He leaned forward and caught me in a kiss, "Haven't seen you in ages. What are you doing?"

"I know. Just finalizing plans for the party." he said. "Tomorrow night?" 

"Sure." I said, reaching up and kissing him again. "I got offered a promotion."

His eyes flew open. "No way! Sadie, that's great, congratulations! I know, let's go out an celebrate tonight then! My kids leave at seven- I'll pick you up at eight, okay? I can pick you up now, right?"

"Yes, please." I said.

"Wear something nice, we'll go out for dinner in the city. And then in the morning, we can go shopping for Jay... maybe you can sleep over tomight night?" he asked. I think he saw my physical reaction to that, and backed up. "No pressure, of course. Just for convenience...?"

I nodded, he was a gentleman, and I should have known better. "That sounds like a fun time." I said. "I'd love to."

"Okay, good." he said, and captured me in a kiss again.

"Oi, break it up you two." Hannah said, coming back. "You've only been going out a week, and already snogging every chance you get..." She shook her head, but was smiling. "Your foods ready, by the way, Sadie."

"Okay, thanks." I said. "I'll see you tonight." I told Harry, and walked out front. I wolfed down my breakfast, and went back to the flat to sleep. When I woke up, it was already four, which meant I had to shower, get dressed, and figure out what I should bring to my sleepover. I would ask Cor.

She was making some sort of dessert, a combination between a cake and something else. "I need some help." I said.

"With what?" she asked.

"I'm sleeping over Harry's tonight." I said. "And get your mind out of the gutter, he's already told me there's no pressure for anything."

"Uhuh." she said. "Oh, that's exciting." A wide smile played on her lips.

"What do I bring?" I asked. "I'm at a loss. I know that I need clothing and stuff..."

We went into my room and she opened my closet. "What are you two doing?"

"Well, we're going out tonight." I said, "So I need a dress. And then tomorrow we're going shopping for one of his son's birthdays, and then on Sunday he invited me to his son's birthday party, but I'm not telling anyone that we're going out or anything... cos it's mostly Ginny's family."

"Wait." she stopped, a dress falling out of her hand midpull. "You're going to meet Ginny freaking Thomas?" she asked. "In real life, in person? Ginny who performed a feint perfectly while also four months pregnant?"

"Uhm yeah." I said. "And she's probably not going to like me, so it doesn't matter."

She sighed. "You're probably right." she said. "How about this dress for dinner? It's fancy, right?" She held up a dark blue dress with only one arm. It was more formal than a bunch of my other clothing, and I thought I looked pretty good in it.

"Thanks." I said.

"Now, for tonight, I'm thinking some sexy pajamas." she said. "If you can, steal one of his shirts to sleep in. Bigger is better, especially if you can knock it off one shoulder and expose some of your bra. Blokes go crazy for that sort of stuff. I don't know why. But bring a sexy nightgown or something if you have it. Where do you keep your unspeakables like that?"

I laughed. "Cor, I don't own unspeakables like that." I said.

"Right." she laughed. "Well, to be honest, I don't think an old baggy shirt that used to belong to your brother and a pair of shorts is what you want to wear. I bought something last week, and if it fits you, you can have it. I think the lace is too scratchy for me."

"Thanks." I said. She went and got it, and placed it on my bed. It was a silver color, with a deep V-neck, lace, and pleats. It looked like it might go down to my mid thigh. "It's pretty."

"It'll look great on you." she said. "Then I think just a casual outfit for shopping... jeans and a shirt, or something. But maybe a sun dress for the party. Something cute and flowy, but gathered and with a pattern. Yeah, this is going to work."

It was a peach color, and I had just bought it last week. "Perfect." I said.

"It's subtle, but nice." she said. "And then you'll need your toothbrush. He'll have paste, and he'll have shampoo and soap in his shower. If last week was any hint, he keeps nice stuff around to wash up with. He smelled fucking delicious." We both giggled. "And then you'll smell like him and that'll be nice. A change of underwear and a bra... and a hairbrush. That should be all you need, and it'll fit inside your purse if you expand it." 

"Thank you, Cor." I said. "I can't believe I need someone's help with this..." I admitted.

"No worries." she said, patting me on the back. "You'll have a great time, even if all you two do is cuddle. Weirdos, honestly..." she muttered, leaving. I took a shower, shaved my legs, and dried my hair. It was warm out, but my dress was light. I slipped it on along with some nice, flat sandals and plaited my hair. Even though it was just cut, it was still past my shoulders. I heard a knock on the door and gathered my purse to leave. I got to the door before Cor did, and shut the door behind me.

"Hello." I said, leaning forward to kiss him. He wore nice, dark jeans and a button down shirt. "How are you?"

"Great." he murmured. "But I'm about to be super lame."

I opened my eyes and stepped back from him. "Why?" I asked.

"I am knackered." he said. "Would it be okay if we just got some good take away instead and ate it back at my house? I know I said we would celebrate the promotion, but I just don't have the energy I should pay you to sit through a two hour dinner. I'll wine you and dine you next weekend, I promise."

"Don't worry about it." I said, wrapping my arms around him and absorbing his calming aura. As long as we were together, I didn't care if we were at the fanciest hotel in London or the dingiest fast food shop. "I don't really care about where we go. It was your idea to go out. I'm happy with take away."

"Really?" he asked. "I mean, you look lovely, I'm sorry to waste it on my couch."

I kissed him to shut him up, "Let's go." I said. He grabbed a hold of me and we apparated to his front lawn.

I noticed there was a car parked out front, which I hadn't seen before. "You drive?"

"Yes." he said. "I mean, it's magically... enhanced, of course, but I do. I've kept some of my Muggle upbringing's influences... we have a telly, a phone, a washer and drier... the car. They're familiar, and my kids go through way too much clothing to wash by hand."

I laughed, and he let me into his house. "I like it." I said. "I grew up with all of that stuff too, and I've managed to keep some of it. Cor's parents are both magical, so it's all new to her. But she likes the telly and the washer and drier and lets me keep them around."

"Do you want to put your stuff upstairs?" he asked, looking at my bag. I nodded, and we went up the staircase in the front of the house. "My bedroom." he said, pointing to the middle door. "Lily is over there, and James and Al share that one. Teddy is at the very end of the hall, and the door at the bottom of the stairs is my office."

I opened the door to his bedroom, it was a dark red color walls, with French doors that opened out onto a little balcony with a view of the fields. Late afternoon sun streamed in and made a pattern in the shadows along the bed. The bed was along the other wall, very large and freshly made. There was a door next to it, that was half open and revealed a small bathroom with a glass shower. "This house is amazing." I said, and placed my bag on the floor.

"When we built it, I wanted it to have everything we could ever need. So it is pretty nice."

"How did she not want the house?" I asked, running my hand down one of the posters on the bed.

"I paid for it all, so she didn't have any claim to it." he said. "Not that she wanted it, she moved out of here and in with Dean."

I backed off the touchy subject. I knew eventually we would talk about our past relationships, but it didn't have to be now. "What kind of take away are we getting?"

"Indian? Or Chinese?" he asked.

"Indian sounds good, actually." I said, running my hand along the bedspread.

"Let's go order." he said. "I'll have it delivered, and there's a bottle of wine in the fridge with our names on it."

We put in for delivery and we stood in the kitchen, sipping the wine he's poured. The sun was down over the trees in the field, and a few lightning bugs flew around the back field. He leaned forward against the counter and kissed me, grabbing the back of my neck. I set my wine glass down on the counter, as his hands ran through my hair. I gasped as something cold and wet dripped down my body, and looked down to see red wine spilled all over my dress.

Harry had tipped his glass too far as we'd been snogging. "Shite!" he said, reaching for a towel over the sink. "I'm so sorry, Sadie..." he sopped up some of the mess, than realized he was totally feeling up my chest. "Shite." he said again, and backed away.

"Don't worry about it." I said, even though I was a little annoyed. This was a brand new dress, I hoped the stain came out. "It's just a dress." I tried to sound sincere, but didn't think it had really worked.

"I- gods, this is embarrassing. I'm so sorry." he said, looking really angry with himself. "You need to get out of that dress so it can soak, do you want a shower? Of course you do."

I nodded, my annoyance with him dissolved with the look on his face. "Yeah, I feel kind of... sticky." I admitted, laughing. He just looked horrified, so I kissed him again. "Don't worry about it, please."

We got up to his room, and he pulled out a towel for me. "Do you need to borrow some of my clothing, I mean, you weren't exactly planning on this..."

"That'd be great." I said. I could put on the nightgown that Cor had given me, but that seemed a little indecent when he was fully dressed. Plus, now I could wear some of his clothing. He opened up his wardrobe, and pulled out a T-shirt for me to wear, along with a pair of plaid boxers.

"They're clean, I promise." he said, "I'm not pervy like that or anything..." He blushed.

"Thank you." I said, smiling up at his adorable, embarrassed face.

"I'll just leave you then, uhm, I'll be downstairs if you need anything." he said. "And I'm really sorry."

I just dismissed him and hopped into the shower. There was no shower curtain and I felt exposed, but there was no one to look at me. It was a really exquisitely done bathroom. I washed off the stickiness from the wine and used his body wash. It smelled just like he did, and for a moment I was tempted to steal it so I could always smell him. I washed my hair too, while I was there.

I got out of the shower and got dressed quickly. I didn't want to hold up dinner. I dried my hair quickly and put it up into a bun so I wouldn't have to deal with it. I walked downstairs, to see the couch pulled out into a sleeper with trays of food, new glasses of wine, a few candles lit with the telly on. Light from the candles and the telly caused a warm, flickering glow over the room. This was so romantic, I almost couldn't believe it. I knew it would be a good night.

Author's Note: I love you guys! Your reviews and attention to this story make me so happy. Your reviews inspire me so much and make me want to post a new chapter every day! I wish I could! I'll be away next week, so I'm not sure I can guarantee a posting every other day. But, I'll give you an opportunity to get an extra posting in, so that if I don't get to post, you'll get the to the juicy chapters before I'm away [the ones that contain the Ginny action you're waiting for ;)]. If I get six reviews on this chapter before Sunday, when I would post again, you'll get the Ginny chapter on Sunday...if not, an equally exciting but less dramatic chapter awaits you! :)


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Note at the End! (And, I don't think I really need to warn you all for this, but this chapter contains some "Mature" content, so if you find that offensive, you can skip it. It's not that important of a chapter!)

"I'm sorry again, Sadie, I'm so embarrassed." he said. He looked adorable when he was embarrassed, but I was sick of hearing it. He had also changed, into plaid pajama bottoms and a flimsy tank top.

I took his chin into my hand. "If you say sorry one more time, I'm going back to my apartment. And I really don't want to listen to Cor if that happens." I admitted, and ended it with a kiss.

"Okay." he said, and we sat down on the couch to eat. The Indian food was really good. I didn't get take away often, especially the Muggle kind. If I wasn't eating pasta, toast, or something Cor cooked up, I was eating at the Leaky. We snuggled up close to each other, and enjoyed the dinner. He put on a movie, some Muggle thing I'd never heard of. "So tell me about your promotion."

"They've offered me the position of Head of Shift." I said.

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"Two more galleons an hour, more stable hours- actually, they want me to work four ten hour shifts a week- and they want me to work during more normal hours- eight to six, and I would keep that shift. I'd get to sleep when everyone sleeps." I said. "And more managing... more scheduling and quality control, less taking care of actual patients."

"That sounds great." he said, "You're going to take it, right?"

"I'm still thinking about it." I said. "I really like taking care of the kids, and I'd rather get to do that than get two more galleons an hour and a little more prestige."

"Yes, of course." he said. "You're a really great Healer."

"Thank you. You're actually one of the reasons I got offered it."

"Why?" he asked, confused.

"Well, you apparently asked for me by name when you brought Lily in and they made a huge deal about it." I admitted. I was afraid he would get angry.

"Oh." he said, looking away from me. "Things like that piss me off. Not that you don't exceptionally deserve the promotion- it's just that if it was anyone else but me they wouldn't give any thought to it."

"I know." I said.

"I think you should take it." he said, pressing a kiss into my bare shoulder.

"Why are you perfect?" I asked him, running my hand through his hair as he pressed wet kisses into my neck.

"'M not." he said, and pulled away. "I just want this relationship to work really badly."

"Me too." I admitted. "But you... you're just so romantic and understanding and adorable..."

He smiled to himself. "Thank you." he said. "I didn't take the divorce well and I don't want to have to go through that. I can't take it, and my kids can't take it. It's really made me appreciate having a partner."

"You knew it was coming though, didn't you?" I asked.

"For awhile, yeah." he said. "It was just hard still. I felt like such a failure- all of my friends kept it together, and we'd all gotten together at the same time. We'd all been through a lot of the same shite. I got depressed."

I ran my fingers down his cheek, feeling the prickliness of his stubble. "I'm sorry." I whispered, wanting to comfort him.

"I lost thirty pounds in the six months and started working sixty hour work weeks and not sleeping well. I tried to put on a front for the kids that everything would be just fine- Lily was still so little and it wasn't the kids' fault. And then Ginny moved right to Dean's and that was another blow- I was stuck here depressed and lonely with four kids and she was out doing whatever she felt like. And it was just so soon." he said quietly. "I'm still not completely over it. See? Not perfect."

"You'll never be over her completely." I said. "You loved her too long. But there's room in there for more."

He took my hand and put it over his heart. We paid attention to the movie now, nestled together on the couch and snogging during the boring parts. His hand trailed over my breast, caressing them until the nipple became hard. We were still snogging, and he pushed my shirt up with his other hand, his hand grabbing my waist. I wrapped my legs around him. He undid my bra and started kissing his way down my neck towards my breasts. His mouth found them and licked and tweaked them. "You're beautiful." he said.

I tried to respond but just moaned. I tried to get his shirt off, but it was hard. He stopped what he was doing and took it off. "I said no pressure and I mean it." he said. "I only want to go as far as you're comfortable."

I thought about it for a second- while my mind was definitely foggy from the intense pleasure he was bringing me, I could still sort of think clearly. I thought about it all, the intense pressure of desire inside me. It would be a huge step to go this far, when we were only a week into our relationship. "I'm not on birth control." I admitted.

He pulled away, fixed my clothing, and nodded. He wrapped an arm around me, and I laid my head on his chest. "It's early in the relationship still." he said. "I really don't want to go much further unless we're protected because I don't want to get carried away and have to worry about anything. And not being protected is just really stupid..."

"I hope I haven't disappointed you." I admitted, my eyes flashing back to his eyes from the telly. He looked me in the eyes.

"Not at all." he said, and poured us some more wine. I shut my eyes for the last few minutes of the movie and drifted off to sleep.

I woke up, and it was definitely not morning. It was still dark, one of the candles still burning on the table. Harry was gone, though. I was a little angry that I had fallen asleep. I looked up at the giant clock on the wall- it was almost four in the morning. I looked at the candle again, and there was a note under it.

_I went upstairs- I don't know how you can sleep on that awful couch. Feel free to join me if you'd like._

I was lonely downstairs and decided I would go up. As I walked up the stairs, I was overwhelmed with the feelings of affection and desire I had for Harry. I hadn't felt this way about anyone in a really long time. Being around him made me feel like I was special and that someone cared about me. We both wanted the same things from life, and grew up around the same cultures. I opened his door to find him asleep on his bed, as I'd guessed. He was crashed on the left side, so I went to the right side and crawled in. As I snuggled up to him, his eyes fluttered open. "Hey Sadie." he whispered, sleepily. "You fell asleep."

"Sorry." I said. "I'm a light weight."

"'Sokay." he murmured. We went back to sleep, wrapped up next to each other.

I woke a good few hours later, and there was light streaming in the windows now. He was just waking up as well. I could feel his morning erection nudging me. "Good morning." I said. "How did you sleep?"

"Great." he said, leaning in to kiss me. "And you?"

"Well." I said into his mouth, as his hands found my waist. I leaned my knee over him and pulled myself so I was straddling him. My shirt was pushed aside and he could see part of my purple bra.

"This is a nice view." he murmured, eyes still blurry without his glasses. We both laughed. "Don't let us get carried away, though..." he said, half heartedly.

"Fine." I said with a smirk, and cupped him through his pants. He moaned, so I tugged down his pajama bottoms. For a moment, he stopped responding.

"Sadie..." he moaned. "We really shouldn't do this."

"I can't even suck you off?" I asked, pouting. I wanted him to feel as good as I felt about us. All I could think of was this.

"Oh..." he said, realizing, and rolling his hips against mine. I tugged down his pants, and lowered my mouth to him. He was about average size and thick, and heavy in my mouth. I licked and sucked and nibbled, hoping I could make him feel good. "Not gonna last long..." he muttered, his hands caressing my head. "Oh- so good, Sadie, mmm, you're so beautiful, oh! Just like that, feels so good. I'm gonna come..."

"Come for me..." I whispered, and his body shook with release. He came in my mouth, and while I wasn't especially fond of it, the sated, happy look on his face made it more than worth it. I moved up and kissed him, knowing he could taste himself on my lips.

"That was bloody brilliant." he murmured into my neck. We both faded back to sleep for a bit, and when I woke up again he was in the shower. I could hear him singing, which was about the sweetest thing ever. He had a great voice, a little off key, but just hearing him was so heart warming. The early morning sun was bright and warm, and I could hear birds singing in the distance. One of the French doors to the balcony had been left open and a warm breeze was wafting in.

"Could you hear me singing?" he asked, coming back in and looking surprised to see me awake.

"It was lovely." I said, grinning. "You've a really nice voice. Very good early morning concert."

He blushed, and combed his hair, chuckling at himself. I belted out one of the lines from a song he had sang and we both cracked up laughing. "I'll catch you in the act of doing something embarrassing, don't worry." he said. "In the meantime, I'm going to make some breakfast."

"I need a quick shower." I told him. "I'll be right down." I showered quickly, just needing to feel clean. I let my hair dry straight, then got dressed and went downstairs to meet him. The house was big and after awhile seemed very empty. I'm sure it would be different tomorrow when the party was here and the place was flooded with people. In my head, I could see Teddy playing the piano... Lily at the dining room table painting... Al reading on the porch... James flying out back.

He was sitting outside in the early summer morning, two plates of eggs and toast in front of him. He had a catalog in front of him, and was going through it. He looked up at me and smiled. "Good morning... again." he said, and pushed the plate towards me.

"Morning." I said. I started to eat the eggs. Everything he made was delicious- he had great super powers in the kitchen. "Breakfast's delicious."

"Thanks."

"What are you looking at?" I asked.

"Brooms for Jay." he said. "He's been using one of Ginny's old training brooms, but he's old enough for a real one now. I got a nice broom when I was about his age, so I think he should have one too." I didn't know all that much about Quidditch- not as much as Cor, and definitely not as much as Harry. All the brand names and prices meant nothing to me.

"How much does one spend on a nice broom?" I asked, finishing up my coffee. "Is it like a fifty galleon thing?"

"Not quite." he said, laughing. I'd gone to the Quidditch games at Hogwarts, and enjoyed them, but that was the extent of my knowledge. "It'll probably run me about... two hundred galleons. And if he goes on to play semi- or professionally, it'll run more like five hundred."

I nearly choked. "That's a lot of money." I commented. I knew he had money- lots of money, more money than anyone should ever have. Even I had money- saved up from the last few years so I could put a down payment on a house by the time I was thirty. But that was still a lot of money to spend on a kid.

"Yeah, it is." he said. "For a kid. But Jay's serious about Quidditch, so he'll take care of it. It's could be a good investment, and it makes him happy. You don't follow Quidditch, do you?"

I laughed. "No." I said. "I don't. I watched them at Hogwarts and likes it enough then but Ravenclaw was shite at Quidditch..."

"Heads too far into the books to take time to practice?" he joked.

"Our strategies were just too superior for others to understand." I said, smirking. "I did try out for Quidditch once, to impress a boy I fancied. Third year..."

"How did that work out?" he asked, smiling coyly at me.

I laughed. "Well, let's just say I didn't make the team. I'm pretty sure they considered one of the Puffs before me."

He laughed. "And was the boy impressed?"

I shook my head. "I'm pretty sure he laughed at me." I admitted. "But it was like fourteen years ago..." I shrugged it off.

He nodded. "Did you date anyone at Hogwarts?" he asked.

"No." I said. "I fooled around a bit but I was too serious to date. And then I was in Healer training for three years and too busy and then I did my year of residence and was too tired, and then I met Nicholas- my ex-fiance."

"You two went out for awhile?"

"Went out for two, I moved in with him and we became engaged for the last year, then I realized there wasn't really a chance for us to work everything out. I called it off before we would lose a lot of money on our plans for the wedding. It was a pretty mutual thing, actually. He's married and has twins. And I wasn't going to give him that..."

"You said he was a Muggle?" he asked, finishing up his own breakfast. "What did he do?"

"He was a business man." I told him. "And he wanted to do the whole house in the suburbs, three children, a dog, stay at home mum thing. And when I was younger and trying to figure out my life and career, I knew I couldn't pretend any longer that I would be a stay at home mum."

"You two still talk?"

"Sometimes." I said. "We exchange Christmas cards and our parents live in the same neighborhood."

He nodded. "Ginny was pretty much my only... relationship as well." he said. "She'll be at the party tomorrow. She will probably figure out what's going on between us because she's... good at that sort of stuff and she knows me really well."

"What are you going to tell her?" I asked.

"The truth. It's not worth lying to her." he said, raking a hand through his hair. "Just that we've started going out and it's going very well and that I'm waiting a bit longer to tell the children."

"Wait- does she know about Al breaking his leg?" I asked, concerned.

"Oh, yeah. I had to tell her. She was pissed." he said.

"Did she take it out on Al?" I was afraid of her treating him badly because of it. Al was so sweet and innocent. "He's so sweet..."

"No, gods no. Always on me." he sighed. "Anyways, I've got what broom I want to get Jay. The Acer 2012 seems good. And he'll need a new pair of riding gloves, they're about twenty galleons, you could get those for him? And maybe some chocolate frogs, he loves those."

"Sounds good." I said.

"I'm going someplace in Hogsmeade because Rita Skeeter never bothers with stalking me there." he said. "And since we're not out, I don't need her taking any pictures of us together."

"Okay." I said, feeling bad about having to hide. I grabbed onto his arm and we apparated in front of the small Quidditch shop. The owner was nice and very set on helping Harry as well as he could. I stayed a distance from him the whole time I was there, and picked out some gloves. I picked out nice gloves- ones that molded to the shape of the wearer's hands. I didn't want to buy his kids into liking me, but I did want to make a good impression.

It only took about half an hour for him to be done, but in the mean time I ran to Honeydukes and bought half a dozen chocolate frogs. I met him back in front of the Quidditch store, where he'd had the broom shrunken down. We walked around a bit, then stopped to get lunch in a little cafe on the edge of town. We ate outside, under a tree, where no one could see us.

"I feel like I've known you longer than I have." I told him, picking a chip off his plate.

"Me too." he agreed. "It's only been two weeks that I've known you and it already feels like... before I came in with Al's broken leg is so much blurier."

I leaned my head against his shoulder and we ate. We didn't really need to talk, we were just comfortable.

"Do you have to go back?" he asked. "You can just stay over again tonight, and then when everyone gets here you can pretend to apparate in- right? Good plan?"

I giggled at his excitement. This was such a different- better, happier, man than I'd met two weeks ago. I just shook my head. "I don't think Cor would appreciate it. I'm supposed to help her with some stuff tonight, and I already feel like she feels left behind, so I don't want to break the plans. She helped me out a lot right after I separated from Nick- and we've lived together for three years. I just don't want her to think that I've only needed her because I'm single."

"Okay." he said. "That is a good reason."

I stretched out my legs and let the sun warm them. "So, for the party tomorrow... what are our boundaries?"

"Mostly just follow my lead." he said. "The only people there that know are Hannah and Neville. I really need to tell Ron and Hermione, but I've hinted at it to Ron. Nothing in front of the kids- I'm not worried about Lily at all, everything will go over her head. Teddy and Jay will totally notice anything. And Al will probably be excited to see you. He's brought you up a couple times. He was really happy you made Lily better."

I grinned. "Al and Lily are so sweet... I just think they're adorable." I said. "I'm sure Jay and Teddy are too."

"They're not quite as sweet- Jay's always been a bit of a git, but he's very much like Ron. Very loyal, and a good friend. And Teddy is very... protective. Kind of moody, but he has really good intentions. He's really, fiercely protective of Lily."

I liked listening about them. I couldn't wait to really meet them in an environment where I wasn't treating one of them. "That's good, though."

"Yeah. It is. I've liked having Teddy around." he said. "And everyone else at the party will be pretty much Ginny's family and Jay's got a few friends- three or four, coming. And there'll be lots of food- Hannah's making it, so it'll be good. And probably a Quidditch game at some point... but that'll be the kids. There's something like fifteen Weasley grandchildren and still coming."

"Wow." I said. "There's three grandchildren in my family."

"You have a brother and...?"

"My brother Jack, has a daughter, Naomi, with his fiance- and my sister Elise and her husband Galvin, have a boy, Rupert, and a girl, Janie."

"Are they older or younger than you?"

"Elise is older, she's thirty one, and Jack is twenty five."

"Yeah, you might be overwhelmed tomorrow then." he said. "They're all loud, and red heads, and someone will spike the punch. So don't drink it."

"Okay." I said. "I feel like I should write this all down."

He laughed. "Just go with the flow. If anything happens, I'll be there."

I nodded, and decided I should get back to Cor.

Author's Note: Well, you guys well get the much anticipated reaction from Ginny in the next chapter, as six people reviewed the last chapter. You are all so sweet! I would just like to take a moment to thank RoxanneAteTheCookies and Mistakened First, who I can't thank personally :) You two are very sweet. All your reviews inspire me a lot- after I got a few reviews last night I sat down and wrote a whole chapter! So more reviews = quicker chapters! (As in quicker than I already post!) Thanks everyone, next update on Sunday!


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note at the End!

~~~~~~~

We went back to his house, and I grabbed my bag and dress, which had soaked over night and the stain had come out. I promised I would be back at twelve tomorrow for the party, and we kissed goodbye. I did not truly want to leave, but I understood my obligations. I knew I had to help Cor out. I came through the fire place and she was in the kitchen.

"Well hello there." she said. "How was your little sleepover?"

I sat on the couch, and she sat at the other end. "Amazing- I mean, crazy, but really good."

"What did you guys do?" she asked.

"Well, we didn't end up going out because he was exhausted, so we ordered takeaway and then he spilled red wine on my dress and had to give me some of his clothing to wear."

"Score!" she said, giving me a high five. "What'd you get?"

"Boxers and a shirt." I said, grinning. It was still in my bag, and if I was being honest, I really had no intention to give it back.

"That answers my boxers or briefs question." she said.

"And then we watched a movie together and I fell asleep on his couch and joined him upstairs later in the night. Then we woke up and had breakfast and went shopping and had lunch and then he begged me to stay tonight but I told him I had plans with you and you were important."

"Aw!" She said. "Thank you! I would have blown it off and gone and slept with him."

She was underestimating herself. "Well, I try."

"Did you guys do anything...?" she asked, giggling.

I wasn't going into our sex life, or lack thereof. That was between Harry and I. "Well, I'm not on any birth control, so that would be kind of dumb, wouldn't it?"

She nodded, "Okay, okay." she said. "But I do have a book for you." She got up and went into her room. I could hear her throwing a few things around looking for something. She returned a few minutes later with a little book, with no title on the front. I opened it up:

_A Modern Witch's Guide to Sex_

I laughed. "Thanks, Cor." I said. "I actually might need this. Three years is an awfully long dry spell."

She pretended to gag. "Three weeks and I'm aching for something, God, Sadie. You have like an iron will or something."

I shrugged. "What did you need help with?" I asked.

"Oh! Right." she said. "Well, I have a date tomorrow! I signed up for this blind dating service and I'm trying out the older and richer type tomorrow. I figure your experience would tell me if I should wear the black halter dress of the periwinkle strapless one."

I laughed, and considered her. She was half Asian, with dark black hair, creamy skin, and brown eyes. The black dress would leave her washed out. "Periwinkle, definitely." I said. "That's a really cute dress."

"What are you wearing?" she asked. "Excited to meet his kids?"

"Well, techinically we've already met and they know nothing about us being together, so it doesn't matter I've decided on the brown paisley dress with the really big belt, I'm in that kind of a mood. I think it's cute enough that I'll still look nice but I don't want to look too nice..."

"Let's go out for drinks tonight- just to the Leaky or something, to get out. Or are you too tired?"

"I'll go." I said. We spent a few hours at the Leaky and caught up. She told me about how she had signed up for a dating service and was set up with a date with an 'older, rich bloke' as she put it. I laughed at her- she was funny, and I hoped that the date would go well. She deserved the type of happiness I had, the type of happiness where I was too excited to sleep at night because I wanted it to be the next day so I could see Harry.

I woke up in the morning and wrapped the gift for Jay. Knowing he would like the present made me feel better but I was still nervous to go. I knew it would not take a lot to get us out there and if the kids found out before they were supposed to I knew it wouldn't be good. I was afraid to meet Ginny and afraid she might be mean to me. I plaited my hair and put on the dress and sandals.

"You look good." Cor said, and she was dressed up as well.

"You do too." I said. "Are you nervous for your date?"

She shook her head. "It's just a date." she commented, shrugging it off, "Easier than what you've got to do."

"True." I admitted. "I'm so nervous."

"You'll be fine. Good luck." With that, I apparated to his house. There was a cluster of balloons tied to the lamp post, and the door was open. I walked in, and could see right to the back of the porch. I could see plenty of people outside. A few people were in the living room, but I didn't recognize anyone so I kept walking. In the kitchen, Harry stood with Jay, and they were laughing at something. Harry looked up and grinned when he saw me.

"Sadie!" he said, and hugged me. "I'm glad you came."

"Thanks." I said.

"Jay- this is Sadie, she's the Healer that helped Al and Lily and she's friends with Hannah." he said, putting his arm around Al.

"Happy Birthday." I said, smiling at him. He looked like the perfect combination of Harry and Ginny- chestnut brown hair, hazel eyes, tall and built like Harry.

"Thanks." he said, and I could tell he was skeptical of me.

"Uhm, I got you a gift." I told him, handing him the gift. "I hope you like it."

He looked at Harry, silently seeing if he could open it. "Open it, Jay." he nudged him.

He did, and pulled out the gloves. His eyes went wide, "These are great!" he exclaimed. "I can use these for my new broom! And chocolate frogs too? Wow. Thanks so much, Sadie!"

"You're welcome." I said, smiling.

"Can I go outside now, Papa?" he asked, looking at Harry. Harry nodded, and nudged him towards the door. As soon as he was gone, Harry turned back towards me.

"That went well." I said.

"Yeah, it did." he said. "I think he likes you. Do you want some wine?"

I nodded, and accepted the glass he poured me. "I'm nervous." I said, looking outside at the large group of people. However, there was an empty spot at Hannah and Neville's table that I knew I could sit in.

"Don't be." he said. "You look great."

I smiled, "Thank you." I said. "I'll go outside now."

"I'll join you in a few." he said, and nodded as I went outside. I sat down at Hannah's table, and said hello to them.

"Is it weird to be here?" Hannah asked quietly.

"Yes." I said, and took in the sights around me. There was a table on the patio filled with foods, most of which Hannah had made and other stuff that looked homemade. On another table there was a big cake, which wished James a happy birthday. There were a few round tables set up that had a lot of people at them, mostly redheaded men and their wives and children. They were all talking and laughing. I didn't see Ginny anywhere, and I was almost afraid. Some of the kids were playing in the grass, and some of the older ones were playing in the grass. "It's kind of overwhelming."

She just laughed. "Yeah, a bit. The Weasley family is huge." I recognized a few people from the tabloids and war reports- Ron Weasley, who now ran Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, with his brother George, who was also here. Ron's wife Hermione, who was pregnant, the famous rights lawyer, was also sitting at a table talking to some women. "You haven't met any of them?"

"Nope." I said. "You two are the only ones who... know."

"Ah..." she said. "So who am I introducing you as?"

"A friend?" I questioned, but not really sure. "I don't know..."

Frank came over and said hello, and gave me a hug. "I didn't know you were coming!" he exclaimed. "How are you?"

"Well, how're you?" I asked. "You're getting so big. It's crazy."

He just grinned, and stood up taller. He took the seat next to me, and we started talking about school. "I love Defense Against the Dark Arts." he said. "And I'm fond of potions."

Neville coughed, "And Herbology?" I knew Neville loved Herbology, and he taught it too. If their apartment was any indication, and that was covered in all sorts of plants.

"It's fine... definitely not as bad as History of Magic."

"Binns is still there?" I asked, remembering my hatred for it as well.

"Well they can't exactly fire him! And he's never going to die... being a ghost and all..."

I laughed at his frustration. "Well, only four years of it left, right? It's not required for many careers."

"Thank God." he groaned. I was watching Lily and Teddy playing in the grass. Lily was wearing pants today- I had never seen her in anything but a dress. It was kind of strange, but maybe she wanted to play with the boys. Al was sitting under a tree nearby, reading. We went up to get some food for lunch, at the same time Teddy brought Lily up and Al followed.

"Sadie!" Al said, running over to me. "I didn't know you were coming!"

"Your father invited me." I said. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah, it's great!" he exclaimed. "Will you come eat with us? We were sitting in the grass."

"Sure." I said, smiling at the sweet boy. Teddy carried Lily while getting a plate of food for her. He didn't look like he was going to put her down any time soon. "Hi, Teddy." I said, introducing myself to him, "I'm Sadie, a friend of Harry's."

"Hi." he said, and nodded at me. Lily struggled away from him. "Where're you going, Lils?"

"I want Sadie to carry me." she said, and he placed her on the ground. I picked her up, she was pretty light, around thirty pounds, probably. She leaned her head on my shoulder, and held onto my neck. "Hi Sadie." she said.

"Hi Lily." I said, as Albus led me back to the tree they were sitting under. I sat down next to him, and Lily was right on top of me. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better!" she said. "Thank you for taking care of me."

"Any time for you." I told her, squeezing her shoulder. I was getting a cold vibe off Teddy, and was hoping to get him into the conversation.

"Sadie, can I ask you a question?" Al asked, eating a chicken wing.

"Sure." I said.

"Are you married or in a relationship? You don't wear a ring or anything." I had to laugh at the question.

Teddy turned around, an angry look on his face. "Al! You can't ask people questions like that! It's rude." he said.

"It's fine, Teddy." I said, "I don't mind. I'm single." I was lying, of course, but I couldn't exactly tell him I was dating his father.

"You know, my father is single." Al said, "Maybe if you were with him... and he was with you... neither of you would be single anymore."

This was great- this was really great. He wanted us to be together already, and he didn't even know. I just had to laugh it off. "You're really sweet, Al." I said.

"I like that idea." Lily said.

"Al, you really can't tell people that." Teddy said. "Plus- he doesn't need a girlfriend. No offense, Sadie, I'm sure you're a fine person, but he's got his hands full."

I nodded, but was a little taken away. Lily and Albus liked me, Jay... well, it was hard to tell but I didn't think he disliked me, and Teddy didn't like me. This was going to be rough, as I knew Teddy was probably Harry's biggest influence. I sighed, and tried to think of what to say.

"Papa's lonely, Teddy, can't you see? He should get to have someone who loves him and makes him happy, I think. Plus it would be nice to have him happy again."

Teddy scowled, and shook his head.

"No need to worry, Teddy." I said. "Al's just suggesting."

He nodded, and I felt bad for lying to him.

Harry's Point of View:

I was at the kitchen sink, watching Sadie out the window while I opened another bottle of wine. She was in the grass with Teddy, Al and Lily, talking to them. She laughed a couple times, a great smile spreading across her face. Teddy didn't look so happy, and his hair was turning from a brown into a dark indigo, which wasn't a good sign. Al and Lily looked happy though, maybe they were just all teasing him. Or maybe he was angry Lily had wanted him to put her down so Sadie could carry her.

"Who is she?" Ginny asked, sneaking up behind me. She wore Margot in a carrier strapped to her chest. I followed her narrow gaze to see her staring at Sadie.

"Huh?" I asked, turning around.

"The young brunette you fancy." she said, simply. Even though we'd been apart for three years, there was still no way I could lie and get it past her. Her tone was a little harsh.

"My girlfriend." I admitted, and looked back to Sadie. She had started to plait Lily's hair, like Lily liked it.

"You been going out long?" she asked, putting a hand on a hip.

"No, not really." I said, "But I think... I think it's serious."

"The children don't know." she accused, as if that couldn't make it be serious.

"No." I said. "And I don't want them to know for a little while longer... until we're sure of where this is going. Plus, they know her, a bit."

"Obviously." she snorted, looking out at her. "She's pretty. And young..."

"She looks younger than she is." I pointed out. "She's twenty seven."

"You did always have a thing for younger girls." Ginny said.

"She's perfect." I muttered. "I'm falling in love again and it's great, Ginny."

She sighed. "Just think of the kids, Harry." she sighed, and walked outside. What did that mean? I was supposed to not allow myself to be happy after three years of depression and pretty much solely taking care of the kids while she ran around with Dean, made me look like a fool, and had Dean's kid. That wasn't fair, and I was definitely thinking about the kids! I was angry, but tried to let it roll off me and just think about why we were all here- for Jay's birthday.

Sadie's Point of View:

"Will you plait my hair, Sadie?" Lily asked. "Papa doesn't know how and Mummy won't do it for me. Your hair is pretty."

"Thanks Lily." I said, and pulled her into my lap. I started to plait her hair, but decided to do two, because her hair was too short. "Your hair is very pretty."

"Tanks." she said. "I want to grow it long like yours."

"It's taken me... about three years to get it this long." I said. "But my hair grows really slow."

I saw Ron and Hermione heading over to us, and finished up her hair. They didn't know about us, but I bet they knew Harry long enough to suspect something was up, even if Harry and I hadn't really seen each other since I'd gotten here, well over an hour ago. I tied up her hair. "There you go, Lily. It looks great."

"Tanks." she said. "Uncle Ron!" she said, as he got closer. She stood up to run at him for a hug. He picked her up and hugged her tight. She giggled and he set her down. Hermione's hand were resting on her pregnant stomach. Judging by her size, I'd guess she was about six months, but I didn't know.

"Hi." Hermione said, as she approached me. "I haven't met you before."

I stood up and brushed grass off the skirt of my dress. "Sadie Lewis." I said, reaching out to shake her hand. She had a firm grip, and I was definitely intimidated. "I'm a friend of Harry's." I told her, but I knew that was a lame way to explain myself. I knew they probably know what was really going on, but we couldn't say anything.

"Hermione." she said.

Ron stuck out his hand for me to shake. "Ron Weasley."

"Nice to meet you." I said. I could see Harry walking towards us. He was coming to rescue me from the awkward silence that set in.

"Hey." he said, coming up to us all. "What's up?" his hands were shoved down deep in the pockets of his dark jeans. He didn't meet either of their eyes.

"Just coming to meet your friend." Hermione said.

"She healed Al and Lily a few weeks ago." he said. They both nodded. "Sadie- do you think you could come help me with something in the house? I think it's right up your area of expertise."

"Of course." I agreed, wondering if he really needed help with something or if he was just trying to help me get away from them. We walked back into the house to the kitchen, and I looked at him. He looked outside- then to the living room, we were the only ones in the house now. He took my hand and brought me to the pantry, where he put up a silencing charm and locked the door. I looked into his eyes and saw the blazing, intense look that he usually got when we were about to snog. He leaned forward, cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. One of his hands moved from my cheek to my waist, pulling my body flush to his. "We shouldn't be doing this."

"No we shouldn't." he agreed, as his tongue entered my mouth. "How's the party going?"

"I wish I could spend it with you." I admitted.

"Me too." he said, his hand on my waist trailing backwards and squeezing my bum. "Nice arse." he murmured, and kept kissing me.

"Al said we should go out." I told him.

He pulled away from me. "What?" he asked.

"Well, first he asked me if I was married or in a relationship, because I don't wear a ring so he doesn't know. And then he said that you're single and said we could both be single together and then we'd be together you would find someone who could make you happy and it was very, incredibly sweet."

"Al's my favorite." he whispered, feverishly.

I chuckled. "And Lily liked the idea." I said.

"I like her too." he said. "What did Teddy think?"

"That you don't need anyone." I told him.

"What'd Teddy say?" he asked.

"That he's sure I'm a fine person but you've got your hands full and don't need a girlfriend." I said.

He sighed. "I'll work on him before you meet them." he promised, and leaned back in to kiss me again. He was really working me up, and I longed for his touch. I had to pull away, or we'd end up getting naked in his pantry.

"Need to stop..." I muttered. "If we go on any further I'm not turning back."

He nodded, and helped smooth out my hair and dress. I fixed his collar, and wiped my lipstick off his lips. He looked really silly with it on. "We shouldn't have done this." he said. "Now I just want to go upstairs, and blow off the whole damn party."

I ran my fingers through his hair. "I'd love to, but it's your son's birthday. He deserves you there." I convinced him. "So let's get back out there."

He nodded, and we went out. He poured me another glass of wine, and we looked outside. It was the first time I caught sight of Ginny- and I immediately felt intimidated. She was shorter than me by about three inches, and very petite and slender. Her body was very tight and lean, and she had a baby strapped to her body in a Muggle carrier. When I looked up to her face, all of her features were very sharp and fierce. Her hair was pulled back into a tight pony tail. He followed my eyes to her. "I was right about her, actually. She knew we were involved."

"What'd she say?"

"Talk about it later. Over lunch tomorrow?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Day shift this week." I said. "And tomorrow I have to give my choice about the promotion."

"What'd you decide?"

"Still haven't." I said. "But I'm leaning towards not taking it."

He nodded. "I had a feeling."

"But we can get together after work one night this week... if you want to say you're working late, or maybe not. Friday I have off, though, and we could have lunch then."

"Friday is so far away." he commented. "We'll figure something out. Even if it's just a cup of coffee."

I nodded, and we went out. The kids had started a Quidditch game, that looked a little unfair and definitely dangerous. Jay zipped around the sky with his new broom, showing it off. He was actually pretty good at it. When the game was over, they brought out the cake and we all sang to him so he could blow the candles out.

Some how, during the shuffle of fifty people gathering around him, Ginny ended up next to me. I could feel her eyes on me, her glare looking me up and down, no inch going unscathed. "Sadie Lewis." I said, sticking out my hand for her to shake.

She shook it. "You know who I am."

What an awful response, I thought. Of course I did know who she was- but still. "Yeah, I do." I tried to laugh it off, but she didn't find it funny. Her dark eyes were sharp. Suddenly, all my flawless ideals of this great relationship with Harry didn't seem as... bright. Goosebumps littered my arms, not because I was cold but because I was scared.

"I can't decide if I like you or not yet, but you better treat my children well." she announced, placing a protective hand over Margot.

"Of course." I said, laughing nervously. Being in this woman's presence made me so anxious and upset. "They're all very sweet. Funny and adorable, too." I said, quietly. I didn't want anyone to overhear what we were talking about. Harry had worked his way to the front and was now helping cut pieces of cake.

She snorted, and moved away to find her husband. I was left a little hurt and confused/ I hadn't planned on her liking me very much, but I felt unfairly hated. I waited for everyone to get their cake before I went up and got mine.

Author's Note: Here's the chapter you've all been waiting for :) Hope you enjoyed it. I really struggled to find the right characterization for Ginny, so hopefully you all approve (let me know). I've had a few people tell me they didn't like Ginny as a bitch, however, be assured that in a later chapter, there is explanation for her actions. Keep the reviews coming! I have about five chapters written ahead, so as soon as I get six reviews, I post a chapter... So if you'd like the story up quick, review! Thanks everyone :)


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Note at the End.

I went up to Harry. "I think I'm going to leave soon." I said.

His face fell. "Why?" he asked. "Please don't leave."

"Well I'm working the day tomorrow and I have to get up early and I need to go to the grocer's still and just have stuff to do." I said, frowning. "I'm sorry."

"One more hour?" he asked, looking at his watch. "I'm prepared to beg you."

I laughed. "No." I said, "For today I am strong."

He started looking at me with an expression that melted my insides. I had to look away, before I was jumping on him in front of everyone. I got goose bumps in the warm summer heat.

"Change your mind?" he asked, smirking.

"No." I said, looking at the ground. "I'm going to go say goodbye to Hannah and leaving." I said, walking away. Hannah saw me coming. "I'm leaving."

She nodded. "We'll probably head out in a few as well." she said. "The party will go on until it's dark, but we have to work tomorrow."

"Yeah." I said.

"Did you like the party?"

"It was fine." I said. "I wish we were... out. It would make it so much easier. I want to be holding his hand and on his arm and able to kiss him without having to go in the pantry and lock the door..."

She snorted. "You guys..." she said, shaking her head.

"But I did like meeting his kids... Al and Lily are the sweetest things ever. I just love them, I don't know Jay well, and I know Teddy's going to have a problem with me."

"He's very protective of Harry." Neville commented.

I nodded. Harry came over and sat at our table, smirking at me. "Leave me alone!" I joked, nudging him away. "I'm leaving now."

"I'll walk you out." he said.

As we got closer to the house, Harry nudged me to turn around. Al was running after me. "Sadie!" he said. He looked so much like Harry, his little sidekick.

I stopped and turned around. "What's the matter, Al?" I asked.

He motioned for me to bend down so he could whisper to me. I did. "Don't forget about what I said about my father, okay? I mean, he can be a git sometimes but he's really lonely and you're really nice so... consider it, okay? Teddy's wrong."

I patted him on the back. "I will, Al. But I can't promise anything."

He grinned. "Thanks Sadie!" he said, and ran off. I laughed, and we went through the house.

"What was that about?" Harry asked, "Or do I not want to know?"

"Al's going to be really, really happy when he finds out." I told him. "And Lily too, I think."

He smiled. "I'm glad." he said. "Thank you for coming."

I hugged him. "I'm glad I came."

"I'll write you tonight or tomorrow... I want to see you before Friday."

I nodded. "Good bye."

I apparated back to the flat. Cor wasn't home, so I went and took my dress off and put on shorts and Harry's shirt. I lounged around on the couch, caught up on TV. Cor had gone grocery shopping, so there was no need for me to do it. I felt like I hadn't had time to just sit this whole weekend.

I fell asleep on the couch, only to be woken up when Cor came back in around eight. "How'd it go?" I asked her. I couldn't tell by her face. "It was long enough."

"Fine." she sighed, taking off her high heels. "I just thought... older man would mean more respect for women and higher quality date."

"Generally." I said. "How old was the guy?"

"Thirty nine. I mean, really, he should have thanked me for wasting my time on him- I'm young, I'm twenty five- I could totally do better than him, and yet he was patronizing the whole time! I hate men!" She got out a carton of ice cream and I told her to get two spoons. "Did the party go well? Or is that why you're eating ice cream?"

"It went well." I said. "One of his sons- Al, the one who broke his leg, told me that if Harry and I were single together, than we would be together and he wouldn't be as lonely anymore."

"That is adorable!" she said. "Maybe I need to go younger- how old was he again?"

I laughed, "Ten." I said.

"Probably got more money than the bloke I went out with today does." she commented. "I just had higher expectations. It worked for you!"

"Seven years isn't much of an age difference." I said. "Fourteen years... kind of is."

"True." she said. "Well, I've signed up for the dating service, I'll have a new date next week." She laughed it off.

"You're young." I told her. "You still have tons of time..."

"You're only two years older than me!" she said. "And you were engaged to that Muggle."

"That relationship never would have worked out." I remarked. "And right now I would be in the same boat Harry is, only with a couple of kids."

She sighed. "Fine."

I got ready for work in the morning, and was thinking about the potential promotion. Healing people was my thing- not writing up schedules and helping out when others had messed up. I nearly had my decision made- yet I couldn't full commit to it. I went to bed, and hoped I would have a dream and figure it out.

I didn't have any dreams. I was disappointed, but couldn't figure out what to do. I was listless, having woken up earlier than usual. I got dressed and went to work. Brynne was waiting for me.

"Well?" she asked. "What did you decide?"

"I still don't know." I admitted, but I knew she wouldn't like that. She didn't like indecisive people.

"You still don't know?" she asked, her jaw going slack. "This is going to make or break your career, Sadie. Why wouldn't you chose yes?"

I shrugged. "I want to heal people." I said. "I don't know."

"Well, Browning wants you in her office, so you'd better decide quick." she said, and walked away. I was even more confused, put didn't want to leave her waiting. I knocked on her door and she told me to come in. I sat down in the chair.

"Well," she said, evaluating me. "I trust you spent a great deal of time this weekend thinking about the decision."

"A ton." I said. "And... I'm still very unsure."

"About what?" she asked.

"I like to heal." I told her. "I like to interact with the kids, solve problems for them, and watch their faces turn into smiles as they leave, healthy. I'm not so sure I'm going to love making schedules and doing quality control."

She nodded. "That's actually a very good quality in a Head Healer- exactly what you should do. Just because you're not doing it as much, doesn't mean it isn't still the goal."

"I know." I said. "I... I just don't want to give it up. It's what I love, and I don't think the raise or the prestige is worth it."

"May I ask you a question?" she asked. I nodded. "Where do you see yourself in five years?"

I thought about it. While I wasn't definitely counting on the relationship with Harry, I wasn't that type of person, I knew where I wanted to go. If it didn't work out with Harry, I would find someone, eventually. "I see myself... taking a year off to have a child before I get too old, settled down, but I still want work as a Healer."

She nodded. "I'd like to propose something then, something I've never done before." she said. "And I'm only doing it because your reasoning for not accepting the promotion are so great."

"What?"

"Would you consider working two days as a Head Healer and two days as a normal Healer?"

I thought about it- I knew I would not be completely happy with any thing I chose- it just wasn't an option. But maybe this new option would be a balance between the two extremes. "I would consider that." I said. "I think that's what I'd like to do."

"Good." she said. "If you hate it, you can step down. I just look at you and see so much potential, I would hate to let it go."

"Thank you." I knew she did not complement freely, and I should record this. We discussed scheduling and my pay raise. I was really pleased with how it had worked out.

"I think Marquee would appreciate me returning you to her floor."she said. "You may leave."

I nodded and thanked her. Brynne was on me the moment I shut the door to the office. "Well?" she asked, "What happened? You didn't turn it down, did you Lewis? Come on..."

"I... sort of accepted it." I said, as I took out my rounds papers.

"Sort of?" she asked, putting a hand on her hip.

"Yeah." I said. "Two days as Head, two days not."

She nodded and I could see her calculating that thought. "You have potential." she said. "A lot of potential. And I'm glad you sort of took your dues. I'm going to miss working with you."

I turned around, "What do you mean?"

"I got offered a position of Executive Healer." she said. "I start it the first of October. You were hand picked to be my replacement."

"Congratulations!" I said to Brynne.

"But don't tell anyone." she said. "They're not announcing it for a few more weeks."

I nodded, and started to get to work. When I went for lunch, I saw Harry waiting outside my ward. "What are you doing here?" I asked, an icy panic going through me. "Is one of your kids- oh, God! Is Lily okay?"

"Everyone's fine." he said. "I just wanted to come visit you."

I took a deep breath and elbowed him. "Don't scare me like that!" I said. "And we need to get out of here, I shouldn't be seen here with you... I could get fired."

I led him out a back exit, going quickly and hoping I wouldn't run into anyone. We started walking down a street in Muggle London, and once I felt I was a safe distance fro work, I stopped him to kiss him. "I'm so glad to see you." I said.

"I was trying to control myself... and I couldn't." he said. "I needed to see you."

I smiled, and he pulled us into a small deli shop. We purchased sandwiches, and ate them in the small eatery. "I only have half an hour before I have to get back there."

"I don't have much time either." he said. "It doesn't matter. I was so frustrated yesterday, I wish I could have showed you off and spent more time with you and introduced you to the kids."

"I know." I admitted. "I wanted that too."

"What did Al say to you right before you left yesterday?" he asked, looking concerned.

"Just that he didn't want me to forget that he suggested for us to be single together." I said. "I just want to take Al and love on him."

He smiled. "Al and Lily were very glad to see you yesterday. Al wanted to know when we would see each other again. Teddy was... I don't even know, he's so moody, and I need to work on that, but I think part of it is just him being a teenager. And he's been my main support for so long, he doesn't want to lose that."

"He's a kid, Harry." I said.

"I know!" he admitted. "I haven't treated him like a kid much these past few years, and I think that's coming back and biting me in the arse."

"You have a very nice arse, at least." I said quietly.

He laughed. "Thank you... I also had to tell Ron and Hermione about... us. Because they pretty much knew as well. I like to think I can be secretive, but truth is I'm pretty transparent."

"What did they say?"

"That you seemed nice enough and they would like to have us over for dinner as soon as we're comfortable doing that. They are also happy I'm getting myself out there again, as Hermione's been urging me to do for awhile. And I know they won't tell anyone, so that's good."

"It is." I said. "Ginny said something to me as well..."

"Oh?" he asked.

"About me treating her children well." I told him. "And... I respect her, a little more now. I respect that she's looking for someone who is nice to your children, because they deserve it. So... yeah."

He nodded. "She isn't... all bad. I just... I don't even know who she is anymore."

I shrugged it off. "So, I talked to my boss' boss today about the promotion."

"Oh- what'd you decide?" he asked.

"Well, I went in there ready to not take it, because it's not doing what I love." I said. "And then she was talking to me about how I have all this potential and she doesn't want to let it go to waste... so she offered me the ability to work as a Head for two days of the week and as I am now for two days."

"That's great!" he said. "You took it, right?"

"Yes." I nodded. He leaned over and kissed me, his tongue running over my lips. I pulled away, knowing I didn't have much time left of my break.

"I don't understand the situation for Healers, though. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Wouldn't you put the bad ones doing things that aren't... patient related?"

"Well, it's kind of initiation for the next step, which is Executive. That's when you get your own office and people intern you. An Exec has to be able to do it all, and that's the highest you can go. Not everyone gets there- some people chose to just be a Healer. Cor will probably never climb up. It's a really great honor to get an office."

"Congratulations, then." he said. "So, how long until you will be an Exec?"

"Well, I don't know if it will be different for me because I'm only doing it part time. But usually, it takes five years of being a Healer, which is seven years after starting interning, which is after three years of training, to get to the stage where one would become a Head. and then another three years of being a Head before one can be considered for an Executive position."

"Wow." he said. "So you're right on track."

"Yes." I said. "And at that point, my life becomes mine again. I can schedule my own hours- I have a weekly total, of course, but I'd become more of a clinic type doctor. That's probably the point where I'll take a year off to have a baby."

He nodded. "Three years." he said, and I could see him mentally planning everything. I wondered how much he had thought about our future and what we might do together. "I would be..."

"Thirty sevenish." I said. "Still young," I ran my hand down the side of his face, "Still wonderful."

He smiled, and I announced that I needed to get back to work. We walked quickly, holding hands. "I wish we could have more time."

I laughed at him. "We never have enough time. We will never have enough time."

"We need to fix that, then." he said. "I'll let you go." We kissed for a minute, and I took the lift back up to the sixth floor of the hospital. I was happy, so happy I just wanted to leave the hospital, go back with Harry, and be happy with him for a very long time.

"Lewis!" Brynne shouted. Apparently, she was adopting Healer Browning's system of calling people by their last names.

"What?" I asked.

"Where have you been?" she asked, her blond hair puffed up from her hair getting raked through by her fingers. "I've been paging you for an hour."

"I was on my lunch break- why, what was the matter?" I asked. "Is everything all right?"

"You never leave the building for your lunch, there was a seizure case brought in that I thought you would be especially good for, seeing how you were especially efficient last week." she said.

"I left so I could, uhm, call my Mum and tell her about... what happened this morning."

She nodded. "Fine." she said. I could tell she was aggravated with me. "It is your lunch break, after all." she walked away. I took a deep breath and tried to manage the rest of the shift as best as I could. Cor and I were walking home, after her being so busy I didn't see her all day.

"You didn't accept the promotion, did you?"

"Sort of." I said. "Two days as I am now, two days on the promotion."

"Wow." she said. "That's really cool! Congratulations."

"Thank you." I said. Our conversation was lame, we were both exhausted beyond belief. The first day and last day in a row of four were always the worst, exhaustion set in so early. When I got up to the flat, there was a vase of flowers on the table, with a little box and note text to it.

"Present from your lover?" Cor asked, in a sing song voice. I dislike this flat so much after seeing how beautiful Harry's was. True, his was custom built and exquisite, but I missed the wide open space, the bright, warm colors, and the country light and air filling my body and making me feel great. Instead, our apartment was grey, because we weren't allowed to paint or wallpaper, and clammy. It trapped in the heat, being on the third floor, but it was humid.

"Probably." I laughed. I sat down and picked up the note. "Actually, I have two letters."

I picked up the one that had Harry's handwriting on it first.

_**Sadie,**_

_**I'm so happy that you accepted the promotion. Enclosed is a Tweeter Twig- we can use it to send **__**short messages to each other, I hope it's okay. I would just like a way for us to communicate more during the week. Send me a message when you get it.**__  
H._

I smiled, and showed it to Cor. She was laughing at us. "Oh, wait you got one of those things? People are going crazy about them... they're really expensive though."

"Wow." I said, picking it up and looking at it. I would figure it out after I read the other letter.

I didn't recognize the simple, loopy script, but opened it up.

_Sadie,_

_I believe we started on the wrong foot yesterday, and now you have a bad impression of me and probably the tabloid's view of my life. I would like to meet you again. I am off on Friday._

_Ginny_

Author's Note: A little bit of a cliff hanger, eh? Anyways, you guys BLEW ME AWAY with all those reviews (even the ones that tell me my characters are underdeveloped and spineless! I love reviews whether they are positive or negative!) It was amazing. So you're getting a chapter early, as promised. Thank you so much, and keep them up! Chapters every day if you guys review like that!

Also, I wanted to clear some stuff up because some people have their messages shut off or don't have accounts (please turn them on/ get them so I can answer you!). Teddy is against the relationship between Sadie and Harry because when Harry and Ginny divorced, Harry became depressed and Teddy got a lot of the responsibility. He also was the only kid really old enough to know exactly what was going on and is afraid Harry will end up hurt. He is also afraid that Harry might act like Ginny has, and feel like the second-rate, forgotten children. Teddy spends most of his weekends with his grandmother, though Ginny invites him to big things, as you will see in two chapters, he goes to a Quidditch game with Ginny and the kids. Hope that's cleared up stuff, and if not- ask!


	10. Chapter 10

I put down the letter. "Ginny wrote me." I said to Cor.

"No way!" she exclaimed, racing over to see it. "I can't believe this. I just love her. Even if she's a jerk- this letter seems fine. She's trying to fix things. I'd love to meet her."

"If I ask her to meet here for a cup of coffee, will you not... go crazy?"

"Not embarrass you?" she asked. "I guess, I could..." she smirked.

"Thanks." I said. I wrote her a reply on a piece of parchment.

Ginny,

I am also not working on Friday. Would you care to meet for a cup of coffee at my flat?

Sadie

I pulled out my Tweeter Twig like Harry had asked, and took it in my bedroom while I ate a quick dinner. I discovered how to use it- you took a twig off the little branch and wrote what you wanted, then it would send. My words came out in my thick, stubby letters:

Thank you for the flowers and the gift.

I waited a little while, until it let out a little chirp. I picked it up, and in Harry's rushed, sloppy handwriting was a reply.

I'm glad you like them. How was the rest of your day?

Fine. I got a letter from Ginny.

What did it say?

That she would like another chance to meet me and that we've started off on the wrong foot.

Oh. Are you going to meet her?

I invited her to my flat on Friday for coffee. Is that okay? Should I have checked with you before I made plans?

No, it's fine. I just find it interesting. I wonder what her motivations are.

Do you think they're bad? Is she coming to be mean to me? I sort of get the feeling she wants to make things at least neutral for us.

Ginny, in her nature, isn't mean. She's not always very nice, but I'm usually the receptor. She's just closed off, and protective of her life.

Should I be nervous?

No. To be honest, I'm glad she's going this.

Me too. How was your day?

Seeing you was the best part.

Same for me.

I can't wait until we're... out about this. I want to be able to see you whenever I want to.

Me too. Three quarters of an hour is not enough.

I've been doing a lot of thinking.

This was the part that I hated. Even though he had just told me how he wanted to tell people about us, I was still self conscious.

About what?

Telling the kids. I want them to know before my birthday.

So we have three weeks.

Yes. Is that all right? I think it would be best. It would be a great birthday present. And then we will be away for a week so I can work on Teddy if he doesn't respond well.

Okay. That makes sense. Whatever you think is best, you know your kids' limits.

Things could change, but so far I think that's the best idea. I was a little worried about Lily today, I thought she was about to pull into a seizure, but she shook it off.

Maybe she is growing out of them. I'm going to suggest the Muggle doctor to Ginny on Friday.

Thank you.

I told him about how I wanted to stay up later to talk, but I really needed to go to bed. He understood and we promised to talk later. We talked a lot that week using the Twig, and it was probably one of my favorite gifts ever. I spent many nights up too late talking to him.

You think about our future a lot, don't you?

Yes. Don't you?

Sometimes. I don't like to think about the future too hard, because I never really know what will happen. What do you think about?

I plan, mostly.

Plan what?

Silly stuff.

Now I knew he was avoiding my question, probably because he was embarrassed. I didn't think it was embarrassing... I just was curious.

Please tell me.

I see introducing you to my children and them being happy. I see a small, dark haired, green eyed baby running around with Lily. I see many mornings spent in bed, the warm sunlight on us, quiet because we don't need words.

The thoughts he had just given me filled me up with a great feeling of potential and hope for the future.

I see them too. Thank you.

I was nervous for Ginny coming on Friday. I cleaned the whole apartment as best as I could. I made sure that we had a range of teas and went down to the bakery in Diagon Alley to get some pastries. "Is the queen coming?" Cor asked, laughing at me.

I sighed, and laughed bitterly. I was nervous- more nervous than I'd been meeting Harry. "I'm so nervous."

"You'll be fine." she said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "And I'll be on my way as soon as she gets here. I won't stick around and bother you. But how long do you think it'll be?"

"Hopefully less than an hour. I don't know..." I paced around the room. "Thank you for leaving. I know that you really want to stay."

She nodded. There was a knock on the door, and I got up to get it. I knew it was her without looking through the peep hole. I opened it, and she stood waiting. The baby, with curly dark hair and a medium complexion, was in a carrier strapped to her chest. It was asleep- she, was asleep. Margot. "Come in." I said.

"Hi, Ginny." Cor said, talking very fast, "I'm going to leave so I don't bother you, I just wanted to say that I love your work- you're an amazing Chaser."

"Oh." Ginny said, "Uhm, thank you."

"Anyways, I'm leaving. see you later, Sadie."

I nodded and locked the door behind her. This would be awkward. I didn't know whether to talk first or let her talk. After a beat, she didn't say anything and I was sick of the heavy silence. "Tea?" I asked, and turned a kettle on to boil.

"Decaf?" she asked.

"I have some." I said, and moved the teas I bought to the table. "You can sit." I was so nervous, my hands were shaking. I got out two mugs from the cabinet and tried not to drop them.

"You don't have to be nervous." she said, and I could sense some annoyance, though it wasn't completely evident in her voice. "I'm just a person."

"I'm sorry." I said, and set the mug of steaming hot water in front of her. "There you go." I poured my coffee and got the pastries out.

"I just wanted to reintroduce myself... I think that I was a bit of a... bitch."

I nodded. "I'm kind of glad you did." I said. "I don't want to have a bad relationship with you... I mean, to be honest, I don't think a well developed relationship is necessary, but once I'm a part of your kids' lives, we should see eye to eye on... well, kid stuff."

"Yes." she agreed. "We should. And Harry made it sound like you wouldn't be going anywhere fast."

"No, I don't think so. We will probably tell Teddy, Jay, Al and Lily on his birthday."

She nodded. "He sounds like... he is happy. Which is good, because he really is a good bloke. We don't have the greatest relationship for a bunch of reasons and I don't know what he's told you and what he hasn't... but that is just residual of what led to the divorce. The flowers, they are from him?"

"Yes." I said. I was interested in hearing her side of the story, but I didn't think it would be a good idea to push. I was still afraid of her, because I knew she had a lot of influence over Harry and the children. I knew, that if she wanted it enough, she could get me out of all of their lives.

"He was always good at that- the little stuff, flowers and gifts." she said. "And he treats the children very well. He is a great father, which is all I can ask from him anymore."

"He is." I said. "I got to take care of both Al and Lily a few weeks ago, and he... it's obvious he cares for them a lot."

"When Al... broke his leg?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"He is too clumsy." she said. "Thank you for putting him back in piece."

"Of course."

"And Lily... when she had her... episode."

"Her seizure?" I asked, trying to get her to say it. "I don't understand why it's such a big deal."

"If the press... knows, then we will never hear the end of it."

"It's not a terrible disease." I commented. "It's not contagious and you didn't do anything to cause it. I'm a Muggle-born, so I know a bit about it, but the Muggle doctors have done a lot of research about seizures in the last couple years and have a lot of good drugs out there that you could try and put her on. I know a few doctors out there and could get her a discrete appointment soon."

She shrugged. "I am wary of Muggle medicine. They tried to use some of it on my father once and he almost bled to death."

"I'm sorry." I said. "But this is a highly developed, well running part of their medicine- I promise she won't die. You don't have to go with her- I'd be happy to go with her. They have medicine that she could take every day and it would reduce her seizures- she would be normal for you."

She clutched Margot closer to her. "I think you don't truly understand it because you are Muggle-born, but the press here would go wild about Lily. People here are so behind in their ideology. They still have the mindset that if I birthed a child that is not... perfect, I did something wrong. And it will complicate her life- especially when she goes to school, people will know too much about her already, simply because she is my and Harry's daughter. I don't want anything else to get out there."

I sort of understood where she was coming from. I nodded. "I agree... that maybe she shouldn't have every thing about her in the tabloids, but it might motivate St. Mungo's to put some funding an deffort into seizure research. Lily isn't the only one getting them- on Monday a little boy was in with one worse than hers. He was in really rough shape."

"I know that I am lucky." she said. "But I won't make my daughter be a spokesgirl for something. We will have to agree to disagree."

"Fine." I said. "Just... as a Healer I think about things like this differently than you do as her mother."

"Of course you do." she said. "Tell me about yourself."

"I'm twenty seven." I said. "Muggle-born, I was in Ravenclaw. I'm a pediatric Healer."

She nodded, and I felt her eyes evaluating every piece of me. "You're more timid than he usually goes for. You're shaking just talking to me." I put my hand down on the table so it wouldn't shake anymore. I was embarrassed about that.

"I just know that you have a lot of power over the whole situation."

"You're right." she said. "And I'm not sure I like you very much... you're too technical and timid. But I think you have the best interests in mind for my children and you make Harry happy... so I think you can stay."

"Thanks."I said, although I wasn't very thankful.

"I should get going." she said. "Naptime is almost over and I'm about to have a screaming baby on my hands. Thanks for tea."

"Of course." I showed her to the door and she was gone. I flopped down on the couch, not wanting to think about it that much. it explained a lot to me- a lot about why Ginny acted the way she did and how she worked, but there was a lot that was still missing. I would have to get it in bits and pieces from Harry as we were already doing. I just wanted to fall asleep. Cor was back about ten minutes after Ginny had left. I was almost asleep.

"How'd it go?" she asked, sitting down.

"Fine." I said. "She said she doesn't like me that much but I make Harry happy and I have the kids' best interests in mind so I get to stay."

"Oh." she laughed bitterly, "I'm glad she gets a say in who her ex-husband gets to date..."

I just shrugged. "It went well enough. We got to talk stuff out. She's stubborn as hell." I said. "I want to know the whole story of the events leading up to the war but I have to wait for Harry to tell me because I don't want to push him because he's such a moody git."

"He'll tell you soon." she said.

"I know."

I vegged on the couch for awhile, this week had kicked my butt. I had been up too late talking to Harry and hadn't slept enough. I drifted in and out of sleep for awhile, until there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it." Cor said. We didn't have visitors often, but I was too tired to care. "Oh, it's you. Come on in."

I looked up to see Harry standing over me. "Hey." he said. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Yeah." I said, sitting up. "Is everyone okay? Why are you here?"

He sat down next to me. "I sent a few messages to your Twig- you just didn't answer, so I wanted to come over to see you."

"Oh." I said, and leaned my head on his shoulder. "Hi."

"Hello." he said, kissing me. "You look ill."

"Just tired." I told him. "I think I was up a little too late this week."

"Sorry." he blushed. "How was the tea with Ginny?"

"Fine." I said. "She said I'm too timid. And she doesn't like me that much but I make you happy and I have the kids' best interests in mind so I get to stay."

"Oh, that was nice of her to decide that." he said. "I brought sandwiches."

"Wow. That was nice. Thanks." We went to the table to eat. He got an extra one for Cor, and we invited her to eat with us, but she said she wouldn't take any of our time together. She was a good friend.

"So, I have some kind of bad news." he said.

I turned to him and braced for it. "Everyone's okay, right?"

"Oh, yeah. It's just that Teddy's going to be home tonight and I told him I'd spend some time with him since we haven't done that in awhile because it's been crazy with Ginny away and then I've been spending my free time with you and I really just owe the kid a night."

"Okay." I said. "That's fine."

"And then he'll go with his Gram tomorrow so maybe we can go do something tomorrow and you can sleep over tomorrow night?"

"I'm working Sunday night." I told him. "I'm filling in for someone. I start at seven."

"My kids come back around seven, so maybe you could just stay there and get ready at my house? Then maybe we won't run out of time, as we always do."

"Sounds like a plan." I said, leaning into his frame. "Let's go to the beach."

"The beach?" he asked, wrinkling his nose. "I'm not really a ... sand person. I sort of save that up for my holiday and don't do it for the rest of the year."

"Passing up a chance to look at me in a bikini, I see how it is." I nudged him.

"Well, you know, there is a pond in the woods at my house. I've taken the kids down there before... very nice to swim in, a little cold, but very nice."

I laughed, and was so happy he'd come to visit me. "I'll consider it."

"Now I've got to go back to work and sit through a four hour debriefing with my superiors. So much fun."

"You know how to live." I joked.

"I sure do. Anyways, I'll see you around lunch time tomorrow."

"Sounds good." we kissed good bye, and he was gone.

Author's Note: So you guys blew me away with the reviews for Chapter Eight- and then I was a little disappointed after Chapter Nine, to be honest. I mean, I got six reviews- great ones, I might add, but I was a bit let down after getting thirteen for the previous one. As I've reached ten chapters, I'd like to thank the people who have reviewed my story on a regular or semi-regular basis: Selesteant (my first review ever!), RoxanneAteTheCookies, lcd619, Cereburus of the Three Swords, hushpuppy22 (even if you don't love it), Mistakened First, and bolondteri. If I left you out- give me a shout and I'll fix that. Keep reviewing and you'll keep getting chapters! Simple as that!


	11. Chapter 11

Author's note at the end.

We talked a little bit late that night using the Twig, after Teddy had gone to bed for the night. Just about dumb stuff, and a little about the divorce. We would talk about the whole thing tomorrow, he had said. I was a little nervous, as one always is when their perception of someone they are falling in love with may be about to change drastically. But I had a strong feeling that we would get through this, no matter what it included.

Around noon time, I sent him a message and he told me to come over. I found him sitting on the back patio, with two sandwiched freshly made and a pitcher of home made lemonade. It was a delicious meal, in the hot sun of his back yard.

"Do you want to go for a swim?" he asked.

"I guess I could." I said. "But it hasn't been half an hour since I've eaten."

"Let's go change then." He grabbed my arm and pulled me upstairs. We wound up on his bed, snogging for a bit. We didn't do anything other than that, completely satisfied for the moment. "It's been half an hour." he said into my mouth. I nodded, and pulled away. I put on my bathing suit- I hadn't gone swimming in ages. It was a pale blue, and had a halter top and a ruffled skirt, because I hated my arse.

"Done changing?" I asked through the door, and when he confirmed he had I opened the bathroom door. I'd thrown his big shirt over me, so I didn't burn on my way to the pond. He had on swimming trunks and pulled on a shirt so that we could walk down to the pond. We walked hand in hand, with a bottle of sun block and two towels with us. His nearest neighbors were a half an hour walk in either direction, so I wasn't worried about us being disturbed. He led me through a path into the woods.

"The kids love swimming down here." he said. At the end of the path, there was a little culvert in a stream. It looked to be about ten feet deep. I slipped off my sandals, and touched my toe into the water.

"That's freezing!" I said.

"It'll warm up. Here, come here and I'll put sun tan lotion on you." He just wanted an oppurtunity to put his hands all over me. He laid down the towel and I got on it.I did all the bits I could reach- legs, arms, and stomach. He got to do my back, though, and was quite pleased. His hands were big and warm, with rough calluses on his thumb and the corner of his palm.

"Feels nice." I said. He kneeded his hands into my back, and was able to locate a ball of tension right over one of my shoulders. He tried to work it out. It was a little painful but felt pretty good. His hands were always gentle, but were gentle in a way that had a respect for me. He put a little on his finger and wiped it into my face, making sure not to forget my nose or the tops of my ears. After I felt totally worked over, I decided it was his turn. I tugged his shirt off and threw it to the side, like he had to mine. I started out on his back, with me rubbing it in. I loved to trail my hands down, let my fingers trail near the elastic band of his swim shorts, then moved them back up. I loved his skin- it was firm and tight and a wonderful olive complexion. It was warm, but in a cool type of way. I didn't mind bringing my hands up to his shoulders, but I couldn't find any knots. "You're very well built."

"And you're a tease. I do train three days a week." he said. "I have to, to maintain my shape for being an Auror."

"Do you have a strict diet?"

"No." he answered. "But that's why I have to have a strict work out plan. I won't give up my glasses of wine to run around the block a few times."

"Makes sense." I said. "I should do that. I really need to get healthier... all I eat is junk because of my work schedule, and now I've got a jiggly arse."

"It's a shapely arse." he said, removing his glasses. "But if you ate better, you probably would have more energy."

"I drink too much coffee, too." I worked my hands on his shoulders, and onto his front. I brought them down his chest- it was still mostly firm from when he worked out. I pinched his nipples and he let out a low noise. The noise went through me and filled me with warmth. When I was done with his chest, I announced he could do the rest.

"You're such a little tease!" he said, throwing an arm around me.

"And you're going to have a funny looking sunburn if you don't finish up..."

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "Do you know what we can do?"

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Lay back."

I did. He put his finger on my hip, and scratched off the sunblock in the shape of an H and drew a heart around it. I laughed. "Do you want one, or will your kids find it suspicious?"

"A little one." he turned, and pulled down his shorts a little so it would be covered by his clothing. I scratched it in. "Thank you." He pressed his lips to mine. We laid out for a little while, letting the sun warm our bodies. We spent most of the time in some sort of contact- he was holding my hand and pressing kisses onto my fingers.

"Are we going to talk about the divorce?" I asked. I didn't want to, of course, but... it needed to be done.

He sighed, and propped himself up on his shoulder. "We have to." he said.

"Yeah?" I asked,

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "It started going down hill after we started trying to get pregnant after Al. She got hurt in Quidditch and after that couldn't really keep a pregnancy past a positive test. She was upset, I was upset... it put a strain on the marriage because I really wanted another baby. I wanted a girl."

"Aww..." I said, grabbing his arm and rubbing it.

"So that put some strain on us." he said. "And then I got the promotion to Head of Aurors."

"Are you still?" I asked, realizing I didn't know.

He shook his head. "I stepped down to Head Assistant to Head of Aurors... but it was a very quiet transition. Kingsley wants me to take it back at the end of the year, but I'm still deciding. Because when I was Head, I was working about fifty hours a week and I wasn't home and I wasn't with my children and Ginny as much as I should have been. I lost sight of what I really wanted and Ginny was upset and it just... there was a lot of strain."

I just listened. It was kind of hard to imagine him being not there. I nodded and let him go on.

"And then..." he sighed. "She miscarried again. And it was really hard- it was a late loss, we thought we'd cleared the usual mark. And she was a mess. She was angry and bitter and didn't want to talk to the kids, or me... so I took them away. I thought that would help her, get them out of her face for awhile, eliminate the stress... and it completely set her off."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"She was just... mental. She had this thing about me leaving her behind... during the war she got left behind a bit, then when we get married, I tried to change that. And I did- except when I was traveling for work- I couldn't exactly take her on that stuff, you know? And then I guess her abandonment fear went on overdrive after I left her, and she started resenting me."

"Oh." I commented. I immediately pitied her.

"And then I resented her for resenting me... and the relationship just got very... volatile and angry."

"But you still had Lily."

"We both still wanted a baby. So she would figure out when we should have sex and we would do it. But we weren't happy, and we were both angry and bitter and it started not being able to be controlled in front of the kids so she decided she couldn't do it any more and wanted out."

"And when did she find out she was pregnant?"

"About two weeks after we filed for divorce. We wanted to keep it quiet and out of the court- it would be harder for the press to find out about it. And so I asked her if she wanted to work it out- so Lily could grow up with parents like the rest of them, but she decided she couldn't. And she moved in with Dean... but I think they were just roommates for a bit... I'm not really sure. I had the kids during the week... and then Lily was born and that was really hard... like, how do you split an infant's time up? I don't think we did it the best we could but... we did it."

I held his hand in mine and squeezed it. "I'm sorry."

"No." he said. "I mean... it's both of our faults. I worked too much and was too thick, and she held too much resentment and didn't tell me when I needed waking up. I don't want to do that again." He murmured, pulling me closer to him.

I was glad we had this conversation, even thought it wasn't great. Now that it was behind me, I felt more relieved. "Don't worry." I said. "I may be timid... but I'm not dumb."

He pressed a kiss into my hair and held me close to him. A little while later, I got up and decided I was hot enough to go swimming. I stood on a rock at the edge of it. "It's deep enough to jump, right?"

"Yes." he said. "Just don't dive."

I sprung up, and hit the icy cold water feet first. When I returned to the surface, I was gasping for air. "Holy shite!" I yelled. "Freezing."

He sat on the rock I'd just jumped off, smirking. "Just a bit. You'll be numb in a few minutes."

"And have hypothermia in ten?" I swam over to him, using his leg as leverage to stay up. "Come in."

"I'm rather enjoying watching you." I pulled his leg so he slipped down the rock a little. "Fine." He stood up and gracefully jumped into the water. He swam over to me, and picked me up, kissing me. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he hoisted me up. His tongue licked my bottom lip, and I parted my lips for him. His tongue entered my mouth and started massaging my tongue. I put my hands in his hair, pulling his head closer to my own. My arms ran down his neck and over his strong shoulders. He pulled our bodies flush against each other, so every bit was touching. "It's too cold." I whispered into his mouth.

"You're right." he said. "Don't need our toes turning blue." We got to the side of the water and stepped out. I toweled off then laid down again, letting the sun warm away my goose bumps. Once we were warm enough, we went back up to the house. "You know, you don't have to change out of that. You can just sun bathe up there."

I laughed at him, and nudged him. "Planning on spilling any wine on me this weekend?" I asked.

He blushed- he was still embarrassed about that. "I'm still sorry about that. I really didn't mean to." he said. "And you look like you lucked out- you still have my shirt."

"I do." I said. "Wore it and your boxers to bed every night this week. I washed them, of course..."

"You can keep them." he said. "I still have your handkerchief from the first time I met you."

"I have a ton of those." I told him. I held his hand as we went inside to change. He had beautiful hands that were much bigger than mine. I just threw on a sundress and we went downstairs.

"So how did tea really go?" he asked, as we ate a dinner of grilled foods and fresh vegetables and some mixed drink that he liked.

"Fine." I said. "We basically came out of it knowing that we will agree to disagree. I think it's a Ravenclaw and Gryffindor thing. I see things technically and in the long run and she is stubborn."

"I'm a Gryffindor." he said.

"Yes, I know. But you guys are very passionate- and your passion is going to two opposite things."

He nodded. "Did you talk about Lily's seizures?"

"I did. She doesn't trust Muggle doctors." I said. "Which is ridiculous. And she doesn't want any one else to know about Lily's seizures- but I think it would be good. Lily could motivate St. Mungo's into putting money towards research for seizures. And that would be good- she's not the only one getting them, there was another boy there this week with one worse."

"She just doesn't want them using their fame." he explained. "But I understand where you're coming from."

"And then she said I'm too timid. Am I timid?" I asked, pouting.

"Not especially." he said. "I mean, a little... but not spineless or a door mat. You're just... there's more going on in your head." I knew I wasn't the most assertive person but he was right, I held firm to my beliefs. I poured myself some more of the drink- it was good and thick and syrupy.

"I like this stuff." I said, and took a big sip. "How'd your visit with Teddy go?"

"Went well." he said. "We listened to a Quidditch game on the wireless and ordered a pizza. Bloke stuff."

I laughed at him. "Nice." I said. "Warm him up any more to the idea of me?"

He nodded. "I tried." he said, "I just told him that eventually I would move on and find someone else... and that maybe it's time for me to at least get out to see people. Three years is more than enough time to get yourself sorted out and move on."

"Yes." I told him. "It is. And you deserve it."

"Thank you." he said. "So for my birthday... can I invite you over for dinner? I'll tell them probably the Monday before... make them happy. But we'll have dinner that Friday night- my birthday's Saturday but Ginny will be getting the kids on Saturday morning early so we can spend the day together."

"Sounds great." I said. "I'm really excited for that. You don't want me to cook dinner for you, do you? Because I'm really not good with cooking and I don't want to give you food poisoning. I will take you out wherever you'd like to go."

"Maybe on my actual birthday, my kids are too rowdy to take to a restaurant, thanks." he said. "I'm excited for it. I know that at least Lils and Al will be excited for it too... so you have at least fifty percent support already. And that's good, right?"

"Yeah." I said. "It's not bad, I think. I think they will come around. Should I bring stuff to bribe them?"

"No." he said. "I don't want them to like you because you give them stuff. What should I make for dinner that night? Lils doesn't really like meat, and Teddy hates pork, and James doesn't really like vegetables..."

"Pasta?" I suggested.

"Good one."

"Pizza? Carbs." I poured myself another glass of the drink- it was really addicting and very yummy. I could feel the warm tingles down my arms and legs as we spent the night outside... but it got a little blurry as the night went on.

Author's Note: So, there you go. The divorce. Love it, hate it? Let me know. Sorry, bolondteri, I was looking at the wrong chapter when I said you'd find out the answer to your question in this chapter- it's the next one. Anyways, review! And new chapter Saturday! Thanks guys!


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Note at the end.

I woke up in the morning with a head ache, opened my eyes and immediately shut them, groaning in agony. My head felt like it was going to explode all over the place, and even though my eyes were closed I could still feel my eyes burning. "What happened to me?" I moaned, lifting my head from Harry's arm. My hair was stuck to my face and my eyes were bleary. I didn't think I was wearing very many clothes

"You got very, very drunk." he said, running a hand through my hair. "Do you need some hangover remedy?"

"Yes."

He got up and went into the bathroom, picking something out of the cabinet. "I hope this stuff is still good. It's been forever since I've needed it." He uncapped the little bottle, and handed it to me. After stretching out his back, he went over and shut the curtains to make the room darker. I tipped back the pink bottle, and instantly felt an improvement. I rolled over to face up, and he got back into bed. "Feel better?"

"A little." I said. "What happened to me? Did I get run over?"

"Nope." he said, rubbing my back. "Just very drunk."

"I don't usually do that." I told him. "I'm sorry."

"It was kind of obvious." he said, smirking. "You're... very affectionate when you're drunk, you know."

I tried to think about the last time I was drunk. It was hard to think- probably not for a couple of years. I liked to have a drink or two when we went out- a glass of wine, a cocktail, but never enough to make me in this much pain. "How bad?" I asked, and realized I was only wearing underwear and a bra and groaned.

"Uhm..." he trailed off. "We can just forget it ever happened, if you would like."

"What did I do?" I asked, concerned. "Have I scarred you for life?"

"Not quite. You... decided you wanted sex, and were pretty dead set on getting it. You practically dragged me up the stairs- I thought I was going to have to stun you. I think some of your clothing is still on the stairs."

I buried my face in the pillow, exhausted and embarrassed. "I'm so sorry."

"And you tried to pin me on the bed and kept shoving your tits in my face- they're lovely, by the way, but you were very zealous about it."

My face burned red, but he didn't sound too embarrassed about it. "I hate myself."

"So finally I had to slip you a little sleeping potion- I hope you don't mind."

"We didn't do it, did we?" I asked, a little panicked.

"Do what, have sex? No."

I exhaled, and pressed a kiss into the arm I rested my head on. "Thank you."

"I thought you might want to remember our first time. And I didn't want to take advantage of you."

"I don't deserve you at all."

"It's okay..." he murmured, running his hands through my hair. "I'm glad we were in here though, and not out at a club or bar. You were kind of funny, actually. Very stubborn and pissy and you said words you would never say sober. It was entertaining..." He chuckled.

"I can't believe I haven't scared you off by that."

"It takes more than a little dirty talk to scare me off." he said. "I kind of enjoyed it, but I'm glad to have regular, timid Sadie back."

I snuggled into him. "I feel like shite, please don't ever let me do that again."

"Okay." he said. "I won't. Do you want me to go make some breakfast?"

"Don't want to move."

"That's the lovely thing about having time, we can stay in bed all day if we'd like. And we can eat breakfast in bed. So I'll be back in fifteen with some nice, greasy food to warm you up."

I slept through it, and woke up when he had a tray with food piled on it. I sat up, and wanted to find a shirt. He saw me looking for one. "It's on the chandelier out there. I have no idea how it got out there, but I'll get it down later." he tossed me one of his, laughing. I pulled it on, and looked at breakfast. Fried egg sandwiches on toast, along with some warmed up bacon and orange juice. It looked amazing.

"You're a god." I said, eating the delicious food. "I eat so well when I'm here. When I'm home all I eat is junk."

"Come here more often." he said.

"I would..." I admitted. "Maybe once we're out to everyone."

He nodded. We spent a lot of time just talking and cuddling and loving on each other. I was still embarrassed by my actions yesterday and would not let them happen again, but he had taken it all in stride and assured me it was okay. That was a big point for me- we were comfortable around each other. I didn't mind my day old stubble-y legs rubbing against him. We watched movies on the TV in his room, and went on the balcony for a bit, wrapped up in dressing gowns and appreciating the breeze in the July warmth. He read the news paper and I read a medical journal I'd been meaning to read up on, just happy to be with each other.

"I should shower soon..." I said, when the afternoon began to wind down. "It's almost five o'clock."

"What time does the shift start?"

"Seven." I told him.

"Shower later..."

"I can't." I said. "No one will let me heal them if I smell. I still smell like a hangover."

"Okay." he agreed. "Fifteen more minutes."

I nodded, and leaned in to him. "I'm falling in love with you." I admitted, in a burst of courage that was worthy of a Gryffindor. I didn't know where it came from, but I was happy, especially after he reacted. I was glad to see his face perk up, into a grin, and he leaned in to kiss me.

"I'm falling in love with you as well." he said, his strong, confident gaze filling me with love. We heard the sound of people, and stood up immediately. There was no one anywhere close. "Fuck!" he yelled, as his children were coming up the driveway with Ginny. My stuff was still all over the house and he wasn't dressed and I was still here! "They're early. Go get in the shower, I'll put all your stuff on the bed. Just take a shower, pack up, and I'll talk to you tomorrow morning. I'm sorry."

I was terrified, but nodded and kissed him lightly before running to the shower.

Harry's Point of View:

I summoned all of her stuff- the shirt on the chandelier, the pocket book, the shoes- and placed them on the bed, before whipping my clothes off and putting on real clothing. I heard a knock on the door, and my hands were shaking. They couldn't know she was here- it would be really, very bad if they did. I tried to play it off, and make it cool, but I knew that at the very least, Ginny would know something was wrong.

I ran downstairs and opened the door. "Hey guys!" I said, opening the door wide and plastering a fake smile on my face. Ginny was carrying Lily, who had a black eye, that she most certainly did not have Friday. "You're a bit early..."

"Papa!" Lily said, tugging for me. I accepted her, and cupped her head.

"What happened to you, Lils?" I asked.

"Bit of an accident with a gnome." Ginny said. "She'll be fine."

"Can we go to Sadie?" Lily asked. "She said she would heal me up any time."

"That's a good idea, Lily." Al chorused in. I tried not to smile.

"Why don't we just put some ice on it for now, okay?" I asked. Teddy dropped the rucksacks in the living room, organizing them. "Bye Ginny." She turned and walked to the Apparition point. I turned around, and faced the four kids staring up on me. "Right, ice for your face."

I went into the kitchen, and the kids were mostly talking about their weekend. Ginny and Dean had taken them to a Quidditch game and they enjoyed it. Except Lily, who didn't understand it, and Al, who said he'd rather read a book about Quidditch. Where did I get them? Teddy got a bag of ice and handed it to me. "Shut your eyes, Lils." I said, and placed the bag of ice over her eye. "Just hold it there."

"It's too cold!" She whined. "Want my blankie..."

"Teddy- can you go get her blanket? It's in the laundry basket at the end of my bed."

He nodded and went upstairs.

Sadie's point of view

I was just about done in the shower, and hoped I could manage to just get dressed before I needed to leave. I would be early- but that was okay. As long as he kept his children distracted and they didn't hear me. I shut off the water, and squeezed the water out of my hair. I'd left the door to the bedroom slightly open, and could hear some movement in the other room, but assumed it was Harry. I slid open the glass door to the shower and reached out for my towel. The door opened, and Teddy was standing there, looking at me completely naked.

I screamed, and slammed the door of the shower shut. "Teddy!" I said, in a stern voice, though I felt like my insides had all been replaced by gelatin. I was shaking and wanted to cry. I'd been caught.

"I suspected." he said. Even though the shower was frosted glass, he could still see me and I hated that. "Stay away from him. You're not good enough for him and he doesn't need you."

I just gasped, and wanted him to go away. I tried to cover myself with the towel but that really didn't do any good. Tears burned in my eyes, and he turned around to leave. As soon as I was sure he was gone, I stepped out of the shower and toweled off, my hands shaking. I felt so exposed and just angry that he'd found out and angry at his words. What was he even doing up here?

I threw on my navy blue Healer robes and plaited my hair, just in a bad mood. I hadn't fully recovered from the hangover and just wanted to go home, curl up under my covers, and snuggle with Sam.

Harry's Point of View:

Teddy had come back down with Lily's blanket, a soft grey one that Molly had knitted before she was born. He handed it to her, and she took it, rubbing it on her face. "Why don't you go sit on the couch, Lils? Just relax about your eye."

She nodded, and went over to the couch and sat next to Al. I turned back to Teddy, who was glaring at me. His hair was turning indigo- he was very, very angry about somethings. "What's wrong?"

"I should have known." he said. "There was a bird in your shower."

Realization, panic, and dread filled me. I slammed my hand down on the counter, and he didn't react at all. I ran upstairs, climbing them two at a time. I opened the door of my bedroom, and she stood there, tears running down her face and stuffing clothing into her bag. She turned around to face me, her wand out. "You startled me." she said. She turned away from me again, and zipped up her bag. I wrapped my arms around her and she shrugged me off.

"I'm sorry." I said.

She just shook her head, trying not to cry but doing a terrible job at holding it in. She was going to have to Floo from my fireplace, because she couldn't walk to the Apparition point. "He saw me naked." she said, her voice tight and so sad. "And he told me I wasn't good enough for you, that you didn't need me. And he saw me naked and I couldn't do anything and I feel stupid."

I tried to hug her again. "I need to go." she said, and walked toward the fireplace.

"I'll talk to you later..." I said. I was angry at myself, initially. It had slipped my mind that she would be upstairs, and I'd sent Teddy up. But there was no reason for Teddy's behavior. There was no reason for him to be mean to her and rude. I walked back downstairs, still angry and upset. I wanted the children to go back with Ginny so I could have a little time to compose myself. This was all Ginny's fault- if she hadn't brought them back early than this wouldn't have happened.

"What's wrong, Papa?" Al asked, standing up.

"Nothing." I said, ruffling up Al's hair and trying my hardest to pretend that everything was fine. Teddy stood in the kitchen, smirking. "I just forgot that I left the shower on and didn't want to waste any more water."

"Oh." Al said. "Okay."

"Teddy, why don't you come help me make dinner?" I asked, althought it wasn't a question at all. I pulled him into the pantry. "I cannot believe you."

"I can't believe you!" he said, his voice rising. I flicked my wand and cast a spell to silence the pantry.

"I'm the adult, Teddy." I growled. "And apparently I haven't taught you well enough- but I'm very disappointed in you. I can't believe you disrespected her like that- do you know how upset she was? How much she wants all of you to like her, and then you tell her she's not good enough?"

"Kind of hard considering we haven't met her." he spit. His hair was changing colors rapidly and his face reminded me so much of his father. "And this is great, you know. You're already taking her side, and you haven't even been going out all that long."

"I'm not 'taking her side' because she's my girlfriend." I said. "I would take her side no matter who she was- you treated her poorly, I'm angry at you. I thought I raised you to respect women. Where is this coming from, Ted?"

He looked at the floor. "Just leave me alone." he said.

"You wouldn't talk to Hermione like that. You definitely wouldn't talk to Ginny like that- not that she would let you, of course, you'd have bats flying out of your nose for a week. Do not tell the other kids." I said. "I will tell them next week, but for now, they can't know anything. Do you understand?"

"Whatever." he said, and moved towards the door. I blocked him.

"And when she comes for dinner in two weeks, I want you to apologize." I said.

"Harry." he groaned.

"Teddy. I don't like this behavior." I warned him. "What happened to my helpful, polite, funny god son?"

He pushed past me this time, and I let him. We both needed to cool off. He went into his room and slammed the door. I let him, just needing our space. I hoped Sadie was okay, and made dinner.

Sadie's Point of View:

I was most definitely not at my best for the shift. I was a little shaky, not far from tears, and exhausted. I tried to do the best I could, but I had a Dragon Pox case that was draining me. I knew the little girl was not far from death, and tried to comfort her as best as I could. I offered to medicate her with extremely strong pain potions, ones that would hopefully just allow her to take a nap and fade away, but her parents held out hope.

I didn't know the Head Healer on the shift, so I couldn't discuss it with him as well as I could have with Brynne. Even if Healer Browning was there, I would have gone and bothered her with the problem. The Head Healer- a man named Max, allowed me to spend most of my time with them.

They were a young couple, probably in their early twenties and the girl was only four. She had boils all over her body and was turning greener and greener. I wished I could do something, but it was getting to the point where it was way too late.

"Is there anything you can do?" the husband asked.

"I'm sorry. We tried everything." I said. "Just keep her comfortable and let her know you're here with her. Can I get you anything?"

They shook their heads. Her eyes were open, and she turned to face them. Her name was Carina.

"Hi, Pumpkin." Her father said, bending down and kissing her. "How are you?"

I stepped out for a moment to let them say goodbye. My heard ached for the couple. I wished I could do more than just stand there. I heard the girl coughing again, and ran to get some cough syrup. By the time I got back- she was shaking and convulsing. I froze- a seizure.

Sometimes seizures happened in late stage Dragon Pox. She was not strong enough to pull out of it by herself, so I knew it was a matter of time. I grabbed a strong sedation potion and went in there. Her parents were crying, and I could feel my own eyes burning. "It might be time to say goodbye." I told her Mum, patting her on the shoulder. They both loved on her a little, and I poured the potion down her throat. She stopped seizing and her eyes shut. Her breathing was slow and I knew her heart wouldn't beat much longer.

"I'm so sorry." I said. Ten minutes later, I declared her dead and that's when I started crying. I knew I wasn't supposed to be, but I was so overwhelmed with emotion. I told them to take their time with her, and went to tell Max what had happened.

"All right. I'll call for grief services to come up and help." he said. "You're not looking too sharp yourself- everything okay?"

I nodded. "It was just hard to watch them... lose everything." I said. "I haven't had a patient I couldn't fix in over a year."

"It's hard." he told me. "But your shifts almost over- right? What time do you get off?"

"Seven."

"Go whenever." he said. I felt gracious to him for cutting me early. It was only an hour early, but I didn't want to stick around.

Author's Note: Props to bolondteri for completely guessing this was going to happen! Thanks for all the reviews, guys. They really help me write more! So, keep reviewing and I'll keep updating! I love my readers!


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Note at the end.

"And Saturday... do you want to come over like last weekend? Possibly without the excessive drinking and Teddy walking in on you?"

"Yes..." I said. "I'm still recovering from that awful hangover."

"I won't let you drink that much again. I should have seen that was going to happen." he murmured. We kissed, and he had me pinned down on his bed, his mouth roaming over my neck. .

"I'm thinking of going on the Contraceptive Potion..." I told him.

"It's a good idea." he agreed. "I'll give you money for it- isn't it a bit expensive?"

"I'm a Healer." I said, like it was obvious. "I know how to brew it."

He nodded. "All right." he said. "If you're sure."

"Cor does it every month, I'll just ask her for some help."

"You haven't made it before?"

"In Healer training, but that was seven years ago."

"What did you use with Nicholas?"

"Muggle stuff." I told him. He nodded, understanding washing over him. I just leaned in, trying to get as close to him as I could. "I should go."

"No, stay the night." he said, his arms wrapping tighter around me.

I shook my head. "Your kids will figure it out. I'll see you Saturday afternoon."

"I'll come over during my lunch tomorrow, yeah?" he asked.

"That works." I said. "I'll get lunch for us. You can just show up."

"Sounds good." he told me. "I'll be there at noon."

I nodded, and walked back to the Floo. The next day, at noon time, I was ready with sandwiches and treacle tart from Hannah. "Cor, you can come eat with us." I told her, before he got there. She was in her bedroom. I leaned on the doorway. I felt like we hadn't done anything together in ages, and I didn't want to be that girl , the one who got a boyfriend and forgot all about her friends.

"I know." she said, smiling to herself. "But I want you guys to have time alone. You don't get much... and it seems like I would be a bad friend if I took any of it away."

"But I want you to." I said, getting ready to beg. "If his and my life are supposed to mesh together, we need our friends involved too."

"After you meet his friends, I'll do something with you." she said. "He can initiate."

I was frustrated with her, but heard a knock on the door. I shut her door and went to go let him in.

"Hello." I said, leaning up to kiss him. "Come in."

He did, and we sat on the couch eating our lunches. "I have about an hour and a half." he said.

"You get a long lunch."

"They're being a little lax with us all, as we'll be away Monday through Thursday."

I leaned up to kiss the edge of his mouth, and he let me. "That's fine, though." I told him. "We usually don't see each other much those days."

"I can't bring the Twig or write to you." he said, looking down at me with his beautiful, green eyes.

Realization crashed over me. We wouldn't get to talk for four days, at all. While I was used to not really seeing him for that long, not even being able to write or talk to him was going to be difficult. I was sad- because in our relationship, four days was a long time. "Oh." I said, the sadness in my voice evident.

He ran his hands through my hair. "I know."

"What time will you get back Thursday?" I asked.

"Probably early in the day, but they'll keep us at the Ministry for most of the day." he said. "I won't get home until pretty late... and then I'll need to go get the kids... So I won't see you until dinner time on Friday."

"That's a long time." I said.

He nodded. "It is." he agreed. "So I decided that tomorrow I will take you out somewhere nice... somewhere along the beach."

I grinned, "Thanks." I said. "You will let me pay for a date, eventually, right?"

"Possibly..."

"You better. You're spoiling me rotten, you know."

He just shrugged. "Oh, Ron and Hermione invited us over for dinner on my birthday- no obligation to go because they know it's my birthday and I'll just be getting back from a long trip and all, but they would like to meet you..."

"Okay." I said. "Of course."

"Mmkay." He wrapped his arms around me. "So I shall see you Saturday, around noon?"

"Sounds good. See you then."

Saturday couldn't come fast enough. In the mean time, Cor and I went to a Muggle Spa to get manicures and pedicures. It was really nice and relaxing, and we got time to be girls. "Hey Cor?" I asked, Saturday morning.

"What?"

"When I get back tomorrow, can you show me how to make the Contraceptive potion?" I asked.

"Ooooh." she sang, her face lighting up. "Getting a little action, are we?"

I blushed. I wasn't really open about this stuff like Cor was. "Possibly in the future." I said. "His birthday's next weekend, and I'd like to be prepared."

"Good idea." she said. "Of course I'll help you. Maybe go lingerie shopping too?"

I laughed, and turned deep red. "Probably not, but if I do, I'll need your help." Nicholas had never cared what I was wearing for lingerie. Did Harry? Gods, I hoped not. I didn't own many funky or sexy undergarments- usually just the basic, comfortable stuff. I didn't even know where to begin- I'd seen some of the stuff Cor pulled out of the laundry and didn't even know where to go to buy that stuff. I was much too practical.

Around noontime, I Floo'd over to his house. I dropped my bag at his bed and walked downstairs. He was on the patio, enjoying the sun. "Hello." I said, standing in front of him in my sun dress.

"Hi." He got out of his chair, put down his newspaper, and advanced towards me. He put his hands on my hips, and our lips touched together.

"I missed you." I said, into his hair as he pulled me closer. I craved his touch, I craved his scent, I wanted to be as close to him as humanly possible-

"Sadie!" Cor yelled, coming through the door. She had panic in her voice.

I turned to look at her, shock overcoming me. She looked so very... wrong here, in this big house. I turned to her. "What's wrong?"

She was out of breath for running. "I'm really sorry-" she wheezed, "I don't mean to disturb you, it's just that Elise called and wanted me to tell you that your Dad's in the hospital, they think he's had a heart attack."

I gasped, then realized how dramatic I was being. "Thanks, Cor." I said. I was unsure of what to do. I needed a moment to think and absorb- but he was in the hospital. With a heart attack. To me, as a Healer, that meant so much. I felt fidget and crawly and angry and sad and... over emotional. Tears started streaming down my face. "I need to go."

"I'm just... going to..." Cor trailed off, unsure of what to do. She backed up. Harry moved forward and wrapped his arms around me, pulling my head into his chest and trying to comfort me.

"Sh..." he said. "I'm sure that he'll be fine."

"Did she say what hospital?" I asked, turning around to see Cor. She nodded, and handed me a slip of paper. It was one of the city hospitals. I knew it. My hands were still shaking, and I was so nervous. The muscles in my neck and chest clenched, and I felt it was hard to breathe.

"Thank you, Cor." Harry said. "Breathe, love. I'll make sure she gets there."

"Thanks." she said. "Apparition point out front?"

"The green pole at the end of the driveway." He answered. When she was gone, he took me upstairs, into his room. "Look- your father will be fine- let's get to the hospital and you can see him."

I nodded. "Okay." My nose started running, and he handed me a handkerchief. I recognized it as mine.

"Do you know how to get there? Do you know an alley we can Apparate into?"

I nodded, and held onto him tight. Before I mustered up my strength to move us, he shook me. "What?" I asked.

"Please calm down. If you can't, we'll splinch."

"Calm down?" I asked. "How the hell am I supposed to calm down?"

"Shh..." he whispered, trying to wrap his arms around me. I pushed him out of the way- I didn't feel like touching him or anything right now. "If you calm down, we can go see him, and you'll see that he is fine, and..."

"Why are you even coming with me?" I sobbed, my emotions shot and a well of anger bursting inside of me. He just looked weary, and moved to his bedside table. He pulled out a medium sized blue bottle, that was half full. "I don't understand, how can this be attractive to you? Why would you want to be near me when I'm a mess, What-"

He placed a finger over my trembling jaw, until I stopped my blubbering. He wrapped an arm around me, and poured some of the blue liquid into my mouth. "Prescription strength calming draught. Why don't you sit down for a minute and let that sink in?"

I instantly felt like I'd been wrapped up in my favorite dressing gown and laid down on his bed, my shaking, trembling, quivering self calmed. He wrapped his arms around me again, and this time I let him. "Sorry." I said.

"I know, I know." he rocked me in his arms. After a few more minutes, he pulled me up. "Better?"

I nodded. "I'm a mess, an absolute mess. I'm so sorry for flipping out on you like that."

"No worries." he said, and wrapped his arms around me. "Let's go."

I nodded, and then with a crack we were in a dark, dingy alley. I led him across the street, into the hospital. At the front desk, I asked for my Dad. "I'll take you up to him, Ducky." An old woman offered, and I followed her. Just being in the hospital made my eyes tear up, and I tried to shake it. She led us up about four floors, and then we got to a waiting room. I saw my sister Elise sitting in a chair, knitting something.

"Elise!" I said. She looked up and ran towards me, hugging me.

"I'm so glad that you're here." She sobbed into my neck. She was crying way worse than I was- even before the calming draught. "I called you and Cor picked up and said you were out so I didn't think you'd make it and I'd be stuck here alone and Jack's stuck at home because Maggie's at work and Naomi's ill and Galv's stuck with the kids and..."

"It's okay." I said, trying to rub her back. She had always been the emotional, drama queen. I had been the quiet... timid, thinking one. And Jack was the daredevil. "Have you seen him?"

"No!" she cried, "Mum called me all in a panic, saying he was going into surgery or something, and I haven't even seen her since I've been here. I don't know how he is."

"Well, if things were... grave, she would come out and get us- you know that." I tried to convince us. She nodded, and pulled away from me, wiping her nose on her sleeve.

"Oh." she sniffled, looking at Harry, then back at me.

"Oh- sorry." I said. "Elise, this is my boyfriend, Harry. Harry, Elise..."

"Oh." she blinked, wiping away tears. "I didn't even know you were dating someone! Hi."

"Hello." he said. We all sat down in the waiting room, Elise going back to her knitting and trying not to cry.

"How long have you two been going out?" she asked.

I thought about it... four weekends, now, was it? "About a month, I think." I looked at him and he nodded.

"That's so nice." she said. "How'd you meet?"

"Through work..." I explained.

"Oh- you're a Healer too?" she asked him.

"No." he laughed. "One of my kids got hurt and Sadie helped him."

"Oh." Realization went through her. "You have kids?"

"Yeah." he said. "I have a god son who lives with me most of the time and three kids of my own, and I have custody of them during the week."

"Wow. You certainly have your hands full." she said. "How old are they?"

"My god son is fifteen, my sons are twelve and ten, and my daughter is three." he said. He pulled out his wallet, and opened it to show a picture of them all together, probably last Christmas. I hadn't seen the picture before, and it was cute.

"Oh, they're adorable." she said. "I just have two- my son is five and my daughter is three as well."

"It's a fun age. I like it better with my daughter because she appreciates it more than my sons- they were just trying to divide and conquer."

"I know what you mean." she laughed. "Definitely." She was quiet, and I knew she wanted to ask about Ginny. I knew it, because she was so nosy. I saw her itching to do it. I also knew she wanted to comment on the age difference between us too, so I had to change the subject.

"I got a promotion at work." I told her.

"Oh, how lovely." she said. "Is it a good one?"

"Yes." I said. "It is. I get a raise and more normal hours."

"That's great." she said. "What do you do, Harry?"

"I work in law enforcement." he said.

"That's a good career." she commented. We saw our Mum walking towards us, and both got up.

"How is he?" Both Elise and I asked at the same time.

She looked weak and tired- and so old. She wasn't an old person, really. She was only in her late sixties and took good care of herself. "He is going to be okay. He's got a long surgery in front of him, but he will be all right." Elise hugged her, but didn't start crying again. Mum's eyes went to Harry.

"Mum- this is the man I was telling you about, Harry. This is my Mum." I said.

"Hi." he said, and shook her hand. She looked him up and down.

"Hello."

This was definitely not how I planned on them meeting. I was thinking a nice dinner somewhere, not in a hospital. I was still shaky and felt the calming draught wearing off...

"When can we see him?" Elise asked.

"He will be in surgery for another couple hours. They will let him go home tomorrow- but he can't climb any stairs and the house is a mess. Is it too much to ask you to run to the house and clean up? And maybe move a bed downstairs, or at least pull out the couch."

"Harry and I can go." I said, nodding. "Elise- you can hold down the fort here- right? And call us if anything changes."

They all nodded. "Wait." Elise said. "How are you going to get there? It's twenty minute walk- are you going to take a taxi? I mean, I have my car here but you can't drive, Sadie..."

"Uhm, I can drive." Harry commented. "I've never gotten into an accident or anything... if you trust me with your car."

Elise looked at me and I nodded. "Wait-" she said. "I thought you were... like Sadie" she gesticulated with her hands and I guessed she meant a wizard.

"Yes." he answered. "I was raised like her as well."

"Oh." she nodded, and surrendered her keys. "Good luck. I'll call you... if anything changes."

We walked down and into the hospital parking lot, looking for Elise's green car. I spotted it, and we got in. It was nice to sit down in a chair that wasn't hard plastic. I took a deep breath. "I am so sorry." I said, facing him.

"Why?" he asked, looking concerned.

"I know this is not how we were supposed to spend the weekend." I told him. "And you're going to have a sucky week, which is now preceded by a sucky weekend... dealing with me and my stupid family drama and I'm sorry."

He put his arm around me, and handed me the bottle of calming draught. I took a sip of it. "Look." he said. "I'm your boyfriend. When you're in a relationship, you support your partner. You need support right now... True, this weekend isn't exactly how I want it to be... but this is fine. And look- I've just met your Mum and your sister. " His tone was patient but... on the edge. I handed him back the bottle, and even he took a sip. "Let's go to your parent's house."

I rested while I directed him- we weren't far from my childhood home. I directed him to it, and we parked out front. "Well, this is it." I said, getting out and approaching the brown house. I let us in with the key tied to a bush. I let him in.

Author's Note: So, only one or two of my regular reviewers came out to say something about the last chapter. Where are the rest of you? It made me really sad :( But here's the next chapter. I hope no one thinks it's filler again. Remember- if I get a lot of reviews, I post another chapter immediately so keep that in mind! And there's some action coming up... when the kids meet Sadie again and know who she is this time! So review, review, review!


	14. Chapter 14

Author's Note at the end!

"You grew up here?" he asked.

"Yeah." I said. I took him upstairs, and pointed out the room that was mine. It still had my light blue painted walls and soft carpeting, but none of my stuff. "It's a crafts room for my mum now- she likes to knit and sew and do creative stuff like that." I opened my parent's room, to get the bed to move into Jack's old room downstairs. Jack's room had remained empty after he moved out. The bed was perfectly made. Mum might have said that the house was a mess, but it wasn't.

"We can use magic." he said, pulling out his wand. "Here- I've got this." He levitated it down stairs for me, and I guided him through the narrow, winding staircase. "This mattress is ancient."

"It's the same mattress they've slept on since they got married." I commented. "I was conceived on that bed."

He pulled a face, and we both laughed, setting it up in Jack's room. I made sure there was a light next to the bed so Dad could read, and it was all set up. "I'm starving." he commented. "Can I order us some takeaway? I'll get extras to bring to your family..."

"Sure." I said, and showed him where the menus were. He called one up while I dusted and tidied the kitchen and living room. It wasn't messy at all. My dad's daily crossword puzzle and morning tea sat on the table in the living room, and made me sad. I would feel better when I could see him. I cleaned it up, but made sure to leave the puzzle open to where it was. He came back into the living room and wrapped his arms around me, his chin resting on my shoulder. I let myself just relax and sink into the embrace...

"Ooh, pictures!" he said, and I couldn't help but laugh. He walked over to the wall of pictures- pictures from our birthday parties, Elise's wedding, pictures of all the grandchildren. "There are more pictures of Elise and Jack then you..."

"Well after I went to Hogwarts, I wasn't home for them to take pictures of me anymore."

"Oh." he said. "That's true." We sat on the couch, waiting for the food to get there, while I was kissing him. He opened his mouth and let me initiate for once, which was a nice change. There was a knock on the door that made us both jump. I straightened myself, and went to answer it. He followed straight behind, pulling out his wallet to pay for the food.

I opened the door, and Nicholas was there. I was a little... surprised to see him there. "Hi." I said.

"Oh- Sadie, sorry!" He said. "I saw Elise's car... and my parents saw the ambulance this morning so I was just coming over to see if I could help at all..."

"That was sweet." I said, and opened the door. He'd gotten his blonde hair cut and let his beard grow since I'd seen him last. "Uhm, Nicholas, this is my boyfriend, actually, Harry. Harry... this is Nicholas." I stepped aside, and they looked each other up and down before shaking hands.

"Nice to meet you." Harry said.

"Yeah, it's nice to see you happy again, Sadie." he told me. "Is everything all right with your family?"

"Dad had a heart attack." I said. "But he's going to be okay."

I watched him react- his jaw dropped and he looked upset. "I'm so sorry- is there anything you need me to do? Can I help at all?"

"No, I think we're all set. Thanks." I mumbled, playing with a strand of my hair. "We just had to move the mattress to Jack's old room so that he can sleep down there and now we're just waiting for lunch to get here, then we'll be camping out back at the hospital."

"Well- if you need anything-"

"Lunch is here." Harry announced. "I'll go get it." He walked outside, pulling out his wallet.

"So, he's pretty old." Nick said.

I shoved him, laughing a little but not really finding it funny. "Not really."

"Is he... like you?" he asked, and I knew he meant magical.

"Yeah, he is. He's really sweet to me, wants me to be happy. Has four kids of his own and a good stable job."

"Four kids?" he asked. "Well, that's just crazy. I didn't think that was what you even wanted."

I shrugged. "It's working out well for us so far, you know?"

"Sarah's pregnant again, by the way." He said, talking about his wife. "And I got a promotion at the business."

"Congratulations." I felt like he was trying to one-up me, but I let him.

"Thanks." Harry came back with the sandwiches.

"Are you staying for lunch?"

"As much as I'd like to, I think I should probably get back to my family. But Sadie- if you need anything, if there's anything I can do for you, just call me. My number hasn't changed at all."

"Thanks." I showed him out. Harry had unwrapped his sandwich- by now I was used to the ham and roast beef, with cheese, vegetables, and dressing on a whole wheat, good for you type of bread. He knew not to get me anything super healthy, and got my chicken salad on white bread.

"So that's Nicholas." he commented, as we sat on the couch, my head resting on his shoulder.

"Indeed." I said. "The man of my youth."

He laughed. "He's uptight."

"Yes."

"And very formal and a little bit backwards... like I feel as if he might still be living in the 1950s..."

"It's a possibility." I commented.

"He was fine."

"Yes. Fine."

"Do you ever wish you had stayed with him?" he asked. "And it would be you who was with him, pregnant again?"

I shook my head. "Not at all. I mean, I did for probably a year after we broke up- whenever I was lonely or needed to pay the bills or balance my bank account- he was very good at that sort of stuff. But I knew that eventually, I would be happy."

"Good." he said. "And are you happy?"

"Very happy." I whispered. "This is good."

"Very good." he agreed. "We have a good thing going here, you and I."

"We do." I was very tired, and could have napped, but it was time for us to return to the hospital. We got in the car, and drove back, only to be told that visitor's hours were over.

"I'm so sorry." Mum said, coming out to meet me. I gave Elise the sandwich Harry had bought for her and she had gotten in her car and driven home. "He is fine, though. He is asleep- they gave him a lot of medicine. He will be okay and they said he can come home tomorrow."

I was dissapointed. "Just five minutes." I said. "I know he will be okay but I just want to see him."

"The nurses won't allow it." she said, frowning. "But if you go quickly..." She trailed off and I practically ran to get to his room. He looked so... old, lying there asleep. I pulled his big hand into mine, and used my thumb to feel it. His skin was soft and wrinkly. I placed the crossword puzzle book on his bedside table, and kissed his forehead. "Daddy..." I murmured, even though I hadn't called him that in years.

"Sadie?" he asked, his eyes fluttering open. They focused on me, and shut again.

"Hi." I whispered.

"M' goin' to be all right..." he said. "You come back tomorrow, I'll be good as new..."

"Okay, but I'll hold you to that." I told him. He just nodded, not opening his eyes.

"Promise."

"Love you, Dad."

"I love you too, duckie."

I left, and rejoined Harry and my Mum outside. I hadn't really thought before leaving them together, alone. Mum went back to Dad, and Harry and I left. I told them I would come back in the morning. We were quiet as we walked back to the dark alley we could apparate from.

"I'm sorry I left you alone." I said.

"Oh- that was fine. She just asked about my children."

I nodded. "That's nice."

"It was. Your family seems nice."

"My dad looked so... old." I said. "It's hard to fathom that they're getting old. I don't like it."

"I don't blame you." We apparated back to the end of his driveway. It was getting dark, and I was exhausted. It had been one of those days where I just couldn't stay awake. "I won't like it in twenty years when my kids say I'm getting old."

"I wish you had gotten to meet him today." I said, and he murmured his agreement. I rubbed his arm, wanting to just go lay on the couch with him and burrow into his chest. "We just ate." he said. "But I've a carton of chocolate ice cream in the freezer if you'd like to devour it with me."

This man was perfect. Absolutely perfect. I just nodded and sat on the couch as he went and got it. He returned with a large pint of nice chocolate ice cream, and two spoons. He pulled me between his legs, and started a fire in the fireplace. It was a cool night, and eventually it started to rain. We were just watching stupid Muggle shows, light stuff that was sort of funny and a lot ofstupid. I liked just being close to him. We didn't drink tonight, mostly because I think he was afraid I would drink way too much again.

He ran his fingers through my hair, then tried to plait it for me. He mainly just got it knotted, but I could fix it later.

"I have a question."

"Ask away." he prompted, pressing a kiss into the back of my neck.

"Where did you get prescription strength calming draught? They don't give that to just anyone."

"You're right. They give it to nut cases like me." I couldn't help but laugh, even though it was wasn't really funny. "It's about a year old. But they gave it to me because I started having panic attacks and night terrors and awful things after the divorce. Well, I had some before the divorce but had mostly worked through them, but after the divorce they got really bad, and I wasn't sleeping or eating, and I was just a complete mess... so they gave it to me."

He shifted me around in his lap, and pulled out his wallet. He flipped through it, and pulled out a worn picture, handing it to me. Lily, as a very small baby, was on his shoulder. Al and James both had a leg, and Teddy stood behind him. His face was gaunt, his eyes sunken and so very sad. Through a thick sweater, I could see it looked like he hadn't eaten in weeks. It made my heart ache.

"That's the only picture I have of that awful time in my life." he explained. "I keep it with me so that I can see how far I've come, and how I can never go back there."

I nodded. "I like you much better now."

We went to bed early, exhausted from our long day. In the morning, I went and helped Dad get settled at home, but left Harry at his house. I didn't want to put anymore stress on Dad, because he wasn't even aware I was dating someone. I mostly talked to Dad about happy things, like my promotion and my raise. He seemed pleased for me. He was always so proud of me, even if he couldn't run and tell his co-workers about the latest grandchild or academic award.

I was so appreciative of my parents. They'd let me be what I was, even though they didn't really understand it at all. They'd let me pursue myself in a time of great danger, and had put their faith in a sixteen year old to keep me safe- so that I could do what I want and be surrounded by people like me.

By the time that I was done at my parents, it was time to go back to Harry's and pack it all in. We didn't want any timing mishaps like last week, so I left there at four.

With Cor, I brewed the Contraceptive Potion and took it. However, I didn't take up her offer for lingerie shopping. I didn't even know where to begin. I would get to know what turned him on a little better before I figured that out. The week dragged on without him. I was lonely, and wanted to talk to him. It was a good week for me, though, as it gave me time to examine our relationship. I realized that I loved him, and that he had improved my life so much more. I didn't want to be mushy as I told him or anything, so I would have to be creative. Or not, and just come out and tell him.

By the time Friday rolled along, I was itching to see him again. I was going over there at five thirty, but the minutes seemed to drag past. When he got back he sent me a message on the Twig about being home safe, but hadn't replied to anything I sent back.

Around lunch time, there was a knock on the door. I got up to open it, and Harry stood there. As soon as I was within reaching distance, I was in his arms and he was kissing me passionately. He tongue forced entrance into my mouth, and was playing with mine. When I had to come up for air, he was grinning. "Well hello there." I whispered, giggling.

"Mmm..." he said, his mouth trailing down my neck, "Missed you so damn much."

"How'd it go?" I asked, running my hands over his body.

"Fine." he answered, "I just missed you. Wanted to be with you the whole time I was out there."

I realized he was freshly shaved and smooth, and that felt nice along my face. I didn't want to have to ever separate from him.

"Who was at the- Oh! Sorry!"

We turned around and Cor was there, looking embarrassed. We were all blushing. "Sorry, Cor." I said. "We should've gone in my room."

"No... it's fine."

"Sorry." Harry said. I led him into my room, and regretted not making my bed. He flicked his wand and made it for me, then sat down. Sam came out from under my bed and eyed him. "Your cat?"

"Sam." I said. I picked him up, and he started purring on my shoulder. Harry pet him, running his hands over the smooth, black fur.

"We can't snog in here if your cat is watching. I just can't do that." he laughed. That was fine, as I laid back and we laid together.

"Do you want your birthday present now?" I asked. "Or tonight? Or tomorrow?"

"Well... is it something you can give me in front of the kids?"

I thought about the watch- yes, I could. "Yes."

"Then I'll have it tonight." he said.

"How did telling them go?" I asked, and just thinking about it caused my stomach to get a little upset.

"Well." he said, smiling. "Al and Lily are very happy."

I smiled back. "I'm glad. Jay and Teddy?"

"Well... Jay is happy that I am happy." he said. "And Teddy... I don't know. I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. Three out of four isn't bad." I commented. "And maybe once Teddy gets to know me a little more..."

"Yeah, of course." he commented.

"I took the potion..." I said.

His eyebrows rose. "Oh."

"So if anything was to... happen this weekend between us, that would be just fine."

He nodded. "I don't want to... plan it." he said. "Because I don't want it to be forced or anything. If it happens... then it happens."

"Okay." I said.

"Because first times... in my experience, are never that great..."

I thought back to my first time with Nicholas- and shuddered. "I'm pretty sure that I cried." I said. "I promise not to cry on you."

He laughed. "It'll get better..." he said. "We just have to get through it."

We cuddled a little more, then he had to go. But tonight was not far away.

Author's Note: You guys blew me away with all those reviews! Unfortunately, I'm on stolen wifi on vacation but will respond to them all when I get home. Sorry this wasn't the chapter that people wanted, with a lot of interaction with Sadie's Dad and Harry. That is coming, I promise! And to the person who asked if I have a beta (I think that was a few chapters back) the answer is no. I write too fast for someone to beta my stuff, as they would need to be beta'd in about twelve hours (or less) because I post so often. So hopefully you'll gladly accept a few typos for quick updates. The next chapter contains the confrontation between the kids and Sadie- ten reviews gets you an instant update! Thanks guys, you're all really awesome :)


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Note at the end! This chapter contains "mature" content, so just be warned. If it's offensive, you can exist out and the PG-13 rating will return next chapter.

His departure was fine, as I wrapped his gift and took a shower. I picked out another sun dress for dinner tonight. I wanted to make a good impression and look nice. "Good luck!" Cor said, smirking.

I blushed, and apparated to his house. I walked up the driveway, equal parts excited and nervous. The sun was in the process of setting, a rich orange color lighting the fields. I raised my hand and knocked on the door, and felt like my stomach might give away. Waiting was the hardest part, because I didn't know who would be opening the door, but I could hear voices inside.

Finally, the door opened. Jay stood there. His chestnut colored hair was mussed, just like Harry's. "Oh, hi." he said, as if he wasn't expecting me. He held open the door for me. "Come in."

"Thanks, Jay." I said. I looked around for Harry.

"He's upstairs helping Lily change... she spilled paint all over her clothing." he said. I nodded, and set my gift on the table in the foyer. "You can go up there, if you want."

"SADIE!" Al yelled, spotting me at the top of the stairs and running down I thought for a moment he might fall down the stairs, but he stayed up. He hit me and wrapped his arms around me.

"Oof!" I said, bouncing back from impact. "Hi, Al."

"I'm so happy you listened to me!" he whispered, his green eyes, like Harry's, bright and happy.

"Can I tell you a secret, Al?" I asked. He nodded solemnly. "Your father and I were already dating when you told me that." His eyes went wider.

"So I was like... psychic?" he questioned.

I just laughed and ruffled his hair. I wondered where Harry was, and what took him so long. Teddy appeared at the top of the stairs, and looked at me. "Harry!" he yelled, turning his head over his shoulder. "Your girlfriend's here..."

"Thank you, Ted." Harry called from upstairs. Teddy descended the stairs.

"Hi Teddy." I said, nervously.

"Hello."

Harry appeared at the top of the stairs, carrying Lily. He let Lily go at the bottom of the stairs and she hugged my legs. "I'm so happy, Sadie."

"Aww, thanks, Lily." I said. Harry came over to me and kissed my lips quickly.

"Hello." he said, taking my hand. He took me in the kitchen and we got glasses of wine. On the stove he was cooking, some chicken, some pasta, some vegetables... "I'm almost done with dinner."

"I'll go join the kids outside, then." I said. I sat with Al and Lily in the grass, watching Jay and Teddy fly around on brooms, tossing a ball about. Jay had definite skill when he was in the air, making sharp turns and flying circles around Teddy.

"Will you plait my hair again, Sadie?" Lily asked, pulling on my dress. "Could you try and teach Papa how to?"

"Of course." I said. "And I'm not sure he'll get it but I will try."

"Papa's been so happy, Sadie." Al said. "We knew that something was up."

"I'm very happy as well." I just laughed. Eventually, Harry came out to join me, putting his head on my shoulder as I did Lily's hair. I went inside with him and helped him with serving the foods, and brought them outside so we could all sit at the table and eat. Fairy lights were strung along the umbrella over the table, and twinkled in the dusk.

I sat next to Harry, then Al was next to me, Jay was next to him, Teddy was next to him, and and Lily was on Harry's other side. "The food is delicious." I said. The kids murmured their agreements.

"Oh, Pa- you have to do the 'what you were thankful for' thing." Jay said.

Harry finished chewing the food in his mouth and put down a fork. "Okay." he said. "Lily, this year I'm thankful that you really learned how to talk."

"Me too." she said, grinning, as she munched on a carrot. He leaned over and kissed her head.

"Teddy, I'm thankful that you did well on your OWLs." he said. "Because Astronomy doesn't count."

Teddy just chuckled and nodded. "Jay, I'm proud that you made the Quidditch team." Jay grinned. "Al, I'm thankful you broke your leg."

"What?" Al asked, looking at Harry.

"Yeah. Because then I never would have met Sadie." he said.

"You're so weird." I told him, and the all laughed a little.

"And you." he said. "I'm glad you accepted my coffee date."

I kissed his cheek and we went back to eating. "That's a really nice tradition." I said. A few moments passed of a content silence. "How did you do on your owls, Teddy?"

"O in Charms, Potions, Herbology, and Transfiguration, E on everything else but a P in Astronomy."

"Yeah," I said. "Astronomy was never one of my strong points either. What classes will you take for NEWTs?"

"Charms, Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, and probably Arithmancy." he said.

"Do you know what you want to do?" I asked, remembering that his OWLs were pretty similar to my own.

"I think I might go into Healing..." he said. I was happy- finally, I had some common ground with this kid!

"Well, if you ever have any questions or just want to talk about it, I've got loads of experience..." I said. "When it comes time to start applying, I'd be glad to get you into the program."

"Thanks." he said.

As soon as we were done eating, Lily got out of her seat and pulled on my arm. I got up and followed her into the kitchen. "Can you get the treacle tart out of the ice box?" she asked. "I'm too little..."

"Of course." I said, and got it out. "Did you make this?"

"My Gran helped me." she said. "Sadie?" she looked up at me, her big brown eyes curious.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"I'm really happy that you make Papa happy." she said, quietly.

"I am too, Lily."

"You're nicer than my mummy is sometimes."

I froze- I wasn't sure exactly how to answer that. "I... Lily, I'm not going to replace your mum."

She didn't seem fazed, and I helped her put candles in it, then lit it with my wand. We carried it out to him, and set it in front of him, singing to him. He blew out the candles and we all ate the tart. It was fully dark by now, so we moved inside to open presents. I put all the dishes in the sink and charmed them to wash themselves.

Harry had pulled the sofa out into a bed, so we could all sit on it as he opened gifts, and we could watch a move afterward.

Lily gave him a framed picture that she had painted. We didn't know exactly what it was, but we all told her it was really good. The boys all chipped him and got him a book set about some new Russian theory of defense that apparently he had wanted for awhile. Then, last, he picked up my gift.

He opened it, and pulled out the silver and black watch. It was sleek and reminded me of him, and looked a lot better than his old, beat up watch. He put it on, and tucked the old one in his pocket.

"Isn't that one great uncle Fabian's?" Jay asked, pointing to the one he had just taken off.

"Yes it is." Harry answered. "And on their seventeenth birthday, it'll belong to one of you." He turned to me. "I love it, Sadie, thanks."

"Happy birthday." I said.

"All my gifts were great- thanks." Harry said. "And now, Lily, it's time for you to get to bed." He picked up the almost-asleep Lily and took her upstairs. Teddy moved from his place to the other room, and I heard the water running. 

I wanted to talk to Al and Jay, but I wasn't sure if it would come out how I wanted it to. "It's really nice to get to spend time with you guys." I said. "I want to get to know you... but I also want you to know I'm not trying to replace your mum or steal your dad away from you. You don't even need to think of me as a mum-figure... I just want you to trust me and like me."

"Thank you, Sadie." Al said, leaning his head against mine.

"It's just... hard for me." I told them. "Because I don't have a lot of experience with kids and I know that you've been through a lot of stuff, but I want you guys to like me."

"It's hard for us too." Teddy said, leaning against the door frame. Harry came down the stairs.

"Who's ready to watch a movie?" he asked. He took his space next to me, and started the movie. It wasn't very long, it was some action flick that he had wanted to watch. I didn't pay a lot of attention to it, but was just happy to be next to him.

By the time it was over, it was pretty late. Al was asleep, his head rolled to rest on Harry. "I should go." I said, standing up.

"I'll walk you out." Harry said.

"Goodnight Jay... Teddy..."

"Night." they chorused. He took my arm and we went outside, ambling slowly to the apparition point.

"How do you think it went?" he asked.

"Well." I said. "You?"

"Yeah, great." he leaned in to kiss me, finally, and my body responded to his touch- but I was very aware his kids were so close. "Tomorrow?"

"See you around noon." I said, and apparated away.

I showed up a little early, and wore the sexiest dress I owned. He was still in the shower, so I put my stuff down and hopped into his unmade bed. I buried myself into his pillow, swallowed up by his scent.

He was singing again, the beautiful sounds making me smile to myself. I heard the shower shut off and he came out in a towel.

"Hello, there..." he said, grinning at me as he grabbed some clothing.

"Happy Birthday." I said, propping myself up on my elbow.

"You look lovely." he went into the bathroom to change, and came out shirtless, crawling in bed next to me.

"So, what did the kids think?" I asked.

"Jay said you seem nice. Ted thinks you're okay. Al loves you already."

"I promised Lily I'd teach you how to plait hair."

He snorted, and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me flush against him. He kissed me, and I started chewing on his lip. His hands trailed down my front and started unbuttoning the dress. My bra was quickly discarded, thrown over my body. He took my breasts in his hands, cupping them and rubbing his fingers over them. "Glorious." he murmured, taking a nipple in his mouth.

I tried to just enjoy the feelings of him pleasuring me. I moaned his name, fisting my hands into his hair. I moved us so I could be straddling his waist. My hands were on him, feeling and pinching. His hands moved down and gripped my hips hard.

"Are we really going to do this?" he asked, stopping me. I rolled off him.

"I..." I took a deep breath. I wanted to feel him close to me and show him how much I loved him. I picked up his hand and put it in mine. I loved him, but I didn't know how to tell him. I didn't want to be cliché or sound lame.

"Hmm?" he asked.

"I...ugh, I don't know how to say this. I love you." I said, resting my head on him. I looked up at him, waiting for him to respond. He took a deep breath, and for a moment I was afraid that he wouldn't say anything.

"I love you too." he said, leaning up to kiss me. It warmed me up that he had reciprocated, as I was a bit scared about it. I didn't know why- it would have been fine if he hadn't said it.

"I took the potion..." I said. "So if you want to..."

He nodded. "It'll hurt... I'm afraid of hurting you."

"It's okay." I lied. I knew it would hurt- but that didn't stop me from wanting it. I kissed him again, crawling back on top of him. He pushed my whole dress off, leaving me in just my underwear.

"You are so beautiful." he said to me, running his hands up and down me. I wanted to just let go of all thoughts and truly _feel._

I felt under dressed so I started working at his pants. I unzipped them and pushed them down his legs. He helped me by nudging them with his feet, as he kissed and sucked his way down my body. "Don't know what you like, Sadie." he murmured.

"Keep going." I replied, moving my hips to push against his. He groaned, and I could feel his erection straining against his boxers. I brought my hand up and touched him, and he nearly jumped.

I pulled his boxers off him. He stopped my hands, cutting me off. He moved me to be beneath him, and I looked up at him, cupping his face in my hands and kissing him. He pushed me back down on the bed, and made his way down my body. He pulled my underwear off, throwing it off the bed. He spread my legs with his hands, his fingers moving to pleasure me. It was like electricity coarsing through my veins, and I bucked my hips to get closer to him. I dug my nails into his shoulder as he brought me to a climax, calling his name and moaning. He took a second to catch his breath as I rode out the last tremors, and then lined to up enter me.

"Won't last long," he panted, pushing into me. He was stretching me and my eyes burned with tears, but I blinked them away to get rid of them. I'd promised I wouldn't cry, and it did start to feel good. It took us a minute to get our rhythm, but once we got it everything was good. He was right- it didn't take long until he was thrown over the edge of the climax, moaning my name. Hearing my name on his lips felt so good, I felt so loved and happy. He got off me, and pulled me close to him. "Thank you." he pressed a wet kiss into the side of my face. "That was amazing."

"I'm glad you like it." I whispered. After he'd drifted off, I got up and put on one of his button down shirts. I went into the bathroom to wash up. I looked in the mirror- and felt happy. I was disheveled, my hair was messy and I'd buttoned the shirt wrong. I could see a bruise already starting to form on my hip. But I was happy, and that was all that mattered.

I crawled back into bed with him and we slept for a little while, just sated and happy. We woke up in the early afternoon, hungry. I was sore, so I took some pain relieving potion from his cabinet. He had bruises and nail scratches on his back, but wore them with a sort of pride. He made us lunch and we sat outside, him shirtless and me just wearing his shirt and boxers. That was the nice thing about his isolated, country home- we could do whatever we wanted and not worry about neighbors.

"Having a good birthday so far?" I asked, smirking.

He nodded. "One of the best." he said. His eyes were on me again and they looked so... alive. He was very happy today, and it was a nice thing to see. "I feel really great."

"I'm glad." I said, grabbing his hand, tracing the lines it in on my own. "We could just stay here, you know... we don't need to leave tonight..."

"As much as I would love to just stay in bed and watch the telly with you... I'm pretty sure Hermione would probably come over here and drag me out of bed..."

I laughed. "Really?"

"Mhm." he said. "She can be a bit scary, especially when she's pregnant."

"How far along is she?" I asked.

"She's due... uhm, beginning of November or something, so six months, maybe?" he shrugged. "I dunno. They waited awhile to have another kid because of Hermione's job- she's a mental workaholic and wanted to get another promotion under her belt before she stopped again to have a kid- I think the reason she had Rosie six years ago was because it was in the transition between promotions."

"Sounds like we'll get along." I commented.

"Yeah, I think so." he said. "She should've been in Ravenclaw with you... definitely. Super smart."

I nodded, and hoped that he was correct. We both showered and got dressed and ready for dinner. I let my hair dry straight tonight, and was wearing my blue, one shouldered dress. "What do you think?"I asked. "Do I look all right?"

"Perfect." he murmured, kissing me. "Let's go." He grabbed my arm and we apparated.

Author's Note: Well, you guys really blew me away. I've had about 25 reviews in the past twenty four hours- that's AWESOME! I love you all! So, what did you think? Let me know! And keep reviewing! Next chapter will be on Friday (or sooner if the amount of reviews I get blow me away), and it contains a confrontation with Hermione! Thanks again :)


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Note at the end.

It was a quiet suburban house, in a spacious neighborhood.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"Greater London..." he said. "So that they can all be close to work. I think they're moving out to the country after the new baby is born."

I nodded. He walked right into the light blue house, not bothering on knocking. I knew he was comfortable with these people, but I didn't know it was this comfortable. The house was cute- little, quaint. It faintly reminded me of the house I grew up in. Pictures of them were on the walls.

"Where are they?" I asked, because the house was quiet. Empty quiet, not just regular quiet.

"Good question." he muttered. "Hello?" he called upstairs. No answer. Suddenly, there was noise and we turned around. Ron was coming through the door, big take away bags in his arms. The smell of food hit my nose and I felt hungry.

"Bloody, Potter, always got to be early?" Ron said, setting down the food. He hugged Harry, "Happy birthday, mate."

"Thanks." he said, grinning. "This is Sadie."

We shook hands. "Hello." I said, trying to smile. I was actually really nervous. I hadn't been before, but now I was. And I wasn't that nervous about Ron- it was more Hermione. In the tabloids, she had been rumoured to have been harsh and fiercely protective- and I hoped those were just tabloid rumors.

"Hey." he said. "Hope you guys don't mind takeaway- Mione thought it'd be a bad idea to give you food poisoning on your birthday. She's just gone to drop off Rosie at Mum and Dad's... she should be back any time."

And she was, about two minutes later. "Hi." she said, shaking my hand. "It's nice to meet you again." She gave me a warm smile, and it melted some of my nervousness away.

"Hello." I said.

"Wine?" she asked, reaching into the fridge for a bottle of white. We all went out and sat on their back patio. It was definitely a city home- but kind of charming to me at the same time. She refrained from the wine, sipping on water with lemon instead. "So how did you two meet?" she asked.

"Sadie healed Al when he was in the hospital with a broken leg... then the next week Lily was there for a seizure and I wanted Sadie to help me... so I asked for her and she helped me and then while I was there I asked her out for coffee."

I grinned at him. He grabbed my hand and held it in his lap. I wondered how we looked to him- was it strange to see me, this young outsider, with him, after they'd seen him with Ginny for so long? To see him happy after he'd tortured himself for over a year? I knew, deep down inside me, that I would never be best friends with Hermione or completely comfortable around Ron, but I would pretend now.

"Sweet." Hermione said, smiling. "How long have you two been going out?"

"Over a month." I answered. "But mainly on the weekends... because of the kids."

"Oh- how'd that go, last night?" Ron asked, curiously, tipping back his glass of wine. Hermione immediately flicked her wand and sent the wine bottle to refill it.

Harry shrugged. "Fine, yeah." he said. "As well as we could have hoped."

"They're all really nice kids." I told them. "It's just going to be a rough period of transition for them."

"Teddy just has to come to terms with it."

"Yeah, of course." Hermione said. "You don't have any children of your own, do you?"

"No." I chuckled. "I don't. I hadn't had a boyfriend before Harry for a few years and I'm too much of a workaholic to stop right now. I actually just got a promotion at the hospital."

"Sounds like a perfect friend for you, Mione." Ron laughed. "She should've been in Ravenclaw, this one." He jerked his thumb at her.

"What exactly do you do?" she asked, leaning forward because she was interested.

"I'm a pediatric Healer." I said. "I heal little kids. Are you at all familiar with Muggle doctors?"'

"Yeah- I'm a Muggleborn."

"Me too." I said. I was glad because now if there was a lull in the conversation I could always bring something Muggle up- a television show or a movie or something... "But I'm basically an emergency doctor. But I just got a promotion- it takes effect in a few weeks, and I'll basically be the head of the shift and be in charge of schedules and quality control and high profile stuff."

"Congratulations." Hermione said. "I'm not familiar with the Healer... system."

"I'll basically do that for a few years, then move on to an Executive Healer position, the highest possible, and go back to doing more patient stuff. That would probably be when I would settle down, since I could take a little time off before accepting the higher position."

"Interesting." she commented. "That's a very weird set up."

"Yeah." I laughed. "It kind of is. But I really enjoy it- healing, I mean. I like helping the kids and seeing their faces when they're all better."

"I imagine it's also a very sad job."

"At times... but not very often. I usually get easy fixes, bones or illness or stuff like that. And it's very interesting- I'm never bored when I'm working. I'm always up and doing something and helping someone, so it keeps me busy. It's nice to know I've found what I'm supposed to do in life."

At this point they brought out the food for dinner. It was actually pretty upscale takeaway, served family style. I had some roasted chicken and salad and a chunk of bread. The food was good, and Harry and Ron were constantly talking- about the kids, Quidditch, Auror stuff... they were best friends and it was obvious they had been forever.

"When are you due?" I asked.

"Oh- November fourth." she said, putting her hand over her stomach.

"Girl or boy?"

"Boy." she said, smiling fondly. "Then we'll have our perfect family and move out to the country. We've already started looking at cottages- we've been saving for years, putting a little away at a time."

"That's really nice." I said.

"Where do you live?"

"Just a little flat in Diagon Alley- with my friend Cor. Right about the ice cream place. It's little and it's definitely not in any sort of ideal location- but we don't spend a lot of time there, so it's fine."

"That's nice." There was a sort of lull in the conversation, but we turned and listened to them talk about the Cannons match.

"Do you follow Quidditch at all?" Ron asked, looking at me.

"Unfortunately, no..." I admitted, blushing a little.

His face fell a bit, but he tried to explain it a little for me. Essentially, his favorite team, the Cannons, had done better this season than they had done in about a hundred and twenty years and he was already lining up to buy tickets for them if they made it into the semi finals. He was excited about it, talking quickly and loudly, moving his hands a lot.

After we finished eating, I helped Hermione clear stuff and bring them in the kitchen. "I'm really glad he is seeing you." she admitted, as I helped her load the Muggle dish washer.

"I'm glad too." I told her.

"He was so down for so long after he and Ginny separated..." she said. "And we- Ron and I, along with the rest of the family, were worried he might never get back out there and date. He and Ginny had been going out effectively since he was sixteen and she was fifteen- I mean, there was like a year break for the battle and all, but still. And he was such a mess- I still worry about him. He got very skinny and tired and his eyes were so sad and dull. Ron and I had no idea what to do- we couldn't exactly fix the situation that led to it- you know?"

"Yeah." I said. "No- he's told me about that time and he's a lot better now."

"Yes, he is." she affirmed. "I just worry about what might happen if you two ever..." she gestured with her hands.

"I don't think you need to worry." I said, turning away. I stared away from her, at him. He was such a beautiful person- inside and out, and I was so lucky to be in his presence. I was so lucky to be loved by him.

"Well, it's just that you have a lot going against you already, and you've just begun dating-"

"I meant that he would have it under much better control this time because he already knows the signs and what he can do to counteract it."

"Oh." she said, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "Of course. My apologies."

"Of course." I said. We went back outside, with a treacle tart for dessert. There was no singing or candles to blow out, just a dessert to eat.

"Well, mate, here's to another year." Ron said, lifting his glass of wine and toasting him. "Hopefully this one will be the best year yet, yeah? Or some sentimental shite like that."

I laughed. Ron had been drinking all night and was starting to get pretty loose. Hermione had banished the bottle of wine, and we were just sitting outside, enjoying the warm summer air and the familiar sounds of the city.

"Should we be on our way?" Harry asked, turning to me. "It's been a long day, and I've got another one tomorrow packing up for the trip."

"Oh- I forgot about that." Hermione said. "What's the itinerary look like?" 

"Cairo the first three days, then we're going to a Wizarding beach resort on the Nile for the last three days." he said. "So we can get some tourist stuff in and relax at the same time."

"You're not going, are you Sadie?" she asked, turning to look at me.

"No." I said. Harry hadn't invited me and I'm not sure I would have said yes. While I wanted to go to Egypt, see the pyramids and go to the beach, it was important for him to spend alone time with his children, and I understood that well. "I'm not. It's his time for a vacation."

"When will you be back?"

"Next Sunday." he said. "I'll Floo you once I'm in and safe, but I'm sure Lils will want to send Rosie a postcard while we're there."

"All right." Hermione said.

"Well, thank you for dinner." I said, "It was nice to meet you two again."

"Nice to meet you again as well." Hermione said. "Hopefully we'll be seeing you around a lot more?"

"Yeah." Harry said. "I think you will." they walked us to the door and we apparated there, back to his house.

"Did that go okay?" I asked. "I mean, I think it did, but I couldn't really tell because I don't know them."

"Yeah, it went well, thank you for going." he said as he kissed me, pulling me down on the couch. We snogged there for awhile, because it wasn't that late. He stopped me before I could take any clothing off, and held me in his arms. "Is it weird to be around us? People like me and Ron and Hermione... people who's names get thrown around the tabloids like it's anyone's business?"

"Not really." I admitted. "I was terrified of you the first time I met you- but when we're together I don't really see the glorified war hero... I see Harry, the man I'm in love with, who loves his kids and has a shite ton of emotional baggage, who sings in the shower and is a blanket hog." We both laughed, and I pressed a kiss into his palm.

"You were terrified of me?" he asked, scrunching up his face. "I'm sorry."

"No, I don't even know why." I leaned my head back against him. "You're harmless, really. I was just being dumb and I'd never had a 'high profile client'" I made air quotes with my fingers.

"I was a bit of a mess."

"Just a little bit." I said, running my thumb over his hand. His new watch was fastened on his left wrist. "Why, is it weird to be around someone who isn't in the tabloids all the time?"

"No!" he said, "It's incredibly refreshing, to be honest. I can tell the truth and be me, as lame and tacky as that sounds."

I laughed. "Inside, you are just a lame and tacky person." I said. "The truth has come out."

"Ah, the truth of us both." he said, tackling me and kissing me again. "Well, come on, my birthday's not over yet. Let's go celebrate again."

I laughed at him, but let him lead me upstairs.

In the morning, I woke up of my own accord. I was wearing only his shirt, and my body was still a little sore. I opened my eyes, and looked to see where Harry was and why he wasn't cuddled up against me. I saw him on the balcony, wearing only his boxers. I slipped on my underwear and went outside to join him. I snaked my arms around him and breathed in, his warm scent.

"Good morning." I murmured into his shoulder.

"Sleep well?" he asked.

"Fantastic."

"Good." he said.

"What's wrong?" I asked, sensing that he was not completely happy. It caused panic to go through me, wondering if he was okay, if he had begun to regret what we'd done yesterday and last night.

"Nothing." he shrugged, and turned around to face me. "I am just thinking about how a week without you is going to be very boring and lonely."

"You need time with your children, alone." I said. "It's really important, especially if I'm going to be around more. They need to have time just with you."

"I know." he sighed. "Maybe you could come next weekend, you know? Just Friday and Saturday nights?"

I thought about it for a moment. "My brother's wedding is next weekend. I really can't miss that."

"Well, then come with us tomorrow. Can't you take a day off?"

"I'm sorry." I laughed. "I can't. It doesn't work like that when you're a Healer."

"Fine..." he said. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too." I leaned forward and kissed him. "But it'll be fine. You'll have the Twig and we can still write each other."

"I guess." It felt good to me that he wanted me to be with him and was going to miss me. It made me happy, that I was a part of his life now and he wanted me there with him.

"Can we have breakfast now?" I asked. "I'm starving." My stomach growled just for good measure.

"Fine, fine. Let's go appease your stomach." he pulled my hand and we went downstairs.

It was a quiet, relaxing day. I helped him do loads of laundry and sort clothing so it would be easier for him to pack for the kids. I was in charge of clothing for Lily and the other boys would mostly pack for themselves. Lily was easy to pack for- lots of her little dresses and bathing suits and a couple of pairs of jeans just in case. I also brewed some Sun-Block potion, just so no one would get burned, and some Burn-Soothe, in case they did.

"Oh- Teddy will be home early today." he said, after we ate lunch.

"I'm going to put on real clothing then." I went upstairs and threw on a pair of jeans. It wasn't terribly hot out today, kind of cool and breezy. Then went downstairs and helped him finish packing up some stuff.

"This must be terribly rude of me." he announced. "Making you help me pack for a vacation you're not even going on."

"And the alternative would be going home and sitting with Cor, who I will be able to see all week." I said. "So don't feel bad. Plus, you have crap organizing skills. Why on earth would you put the food and the clothing in the same pile?"

He smiled sheepishly and let me organize it all. "Thanks, Sadie."

"Of course." I answered. Teddy got there around three, and went straight into his room to pack. He didn't say anything to me, but I guess that was okay as it meant nothing mean was said about me. I decided to leave before the other kids got there at five, because it would be harder to leave and they wouldn't get as much done. "How are you getting there?"

"Portkeys." he said. "We have about six to take."

"Good luck." I said, and leaned in for a hug. "Let me know when you're there safe and the moment you're home."

He nodded on my shoulder. "All right."

I leaned up and kissed him, trying to drink this in and get my fill for the week. Unfortunately, I knew that no matter how long I stood in this embrace, I would never get my quotient for the week. "Okay, time to leave."

"Five more minutes." he said, kissing my jaw.

"No..." I answered, but his grip got tighter on me.

"But I love you..."

"Pansy." I said.

He laughed, and looked shocked, but kissed me again.

"Harry- have you seen my- Oh, sorry." it was Teddy, asking from the base of the stairs. I'm sure my face turned a lovely, unflattering shade of red.

"No, I'm sorry, Teddy." I leaned in quickly to kiss Harry, and walked to the door. "Have a good trip."

Author's Note: So I wasn't blown away by the reviews so you had to wait an extra day. But thanks to all the people who have reviewed, favorited, and put my story on your alerts. It means so much to me and really helps me write faster. A couple of people have brought it up in the reviews, and yes, I plan on following through with this story and finishing it, though updates will probably slow down when school starts again in two weeks. It will probably only be updated twice weekly then, instead of 3 or 4 times like usual. But I think that's still more often than most authors, so hopefully you're all okay with that? Anyways, review me and tell me what you think! Love it? Hate it? Review it! There's a little sub-plot coming up that I think you're really going to like. Thanks!


	17. Chapter 17

Author's Note at the End.

It was a long week, and I missed him dearly. The first two days I convinced myself I was okay- I kept myself busy through work and playing with Sam and hanging out with Cor. But I was a little restless, going without talking to him as much as I was. I'd received two messages from him- that he was there safe, and that they were having an awesome time.

I was lonely, I would admit it. I was lonely and just wanted a hug from him. I knew I was being needy and whiny, so I didn't tell Cor. I tried to throwmy entire self into work. Brynne was getting my ready to step up, so that took a lot of my energy. I was exhausted all week, but figured that it was just from the work load.

And Jack's wedding was this weekend, and that would distract me pretty well. Friday night was the hen party, and I was going to that. Then I was expected to be at my parent's house on Saturday morning.

Being a bridesmaid for Maggie was something I was doing because she had asked me to. It wasn't something I had particularly wanted to do, but I knew it meant a lot to her. I'd known Maggie forever- she and Jack had been flirty for about ten years, and dating for six. Their daughter, Naomi, was four.

Both of my siblings had met their spouse young. Elise's husband, Galvin, had met her in college when they were both twenty one, and somehow had put up with her and her antics for eleven years now. They had expected me to marry Nicholas, who we all knew from when we were babies. I completely broke that mold.

I showed up at Maggie's apartment at six o'clock, like I had been instructed. Elise was waiting for me outside. We didn't know Maggie's other friends very well, and wanted to stick together. We were going to all get our nails done, then going to a club.

"You look nice." Elise said, and she knocked on the door. The door was opened by Maggie's friend Adele, who I recognized from a few of the other get togethers for this wedding.

"Are you girls ready for Maggie's last night of freedom?" Maggie's friend Kathy asked, handing us leis. I wasn't sure what they were for, but we accepted them.

"Hello." Maggie said, coming and giving us both hugs. We went down the street and got our nails done, sipping champagne out of flasks. It was fun to just get out.

"So where's the boy?" Elise asked, nudging me.

I sighed. "He's in Egypt." I said. "With his children."

"A boy?" Maggie asked. "You're dating someone? About time! Tell us about him."

I could feel my face grow warm and just laughed. "He's absolutely gorgeous." Elise said. "Very striking looking, nice and posh- and a lot older. Older than me, even."

"Only thirty four." I said. "You make him sounds like he's Dad's age."

"Well is he coming to the wedding?" Maggie asked. "I didn't thin you were bringing a guest."

"I'm not. He's on holiday with his children."

"He has kids?" she asked.

"Yeah." I said.

"Tell her how many." Elise prompted.

"Well, four." I said. "But one of them is fifteen- so he's not really a kid. It's fine- plus I really like them. They're very sweet kids."

"Oh my God." she said. "Where did you find this guy?"

"Work..." I answered. "And we have mutual friends."

"How long have you been going out?"

"Six weeks." I said.

"That's not a very long time." Maggie commented. "Have you met his kids?"

"Last week."

She just shook her head. "About time." she said, and handed me another thing of champagne. We clinked flasks and I tipped it up, taking the bubbly liquid in my mouth. "Well, may you find the type of love I have."

"Thanks..."

I woke up in the morning, on the couch in Maggie and Jack's apartment with the worst headache ever. Elise sat on the floor next to me. "Good morning."

"I feel dead." I said.

She sat up, concerned. "You didn't have that much to drink- only a flask and a half of champagne all night. I thought you held your alcohol pretty well."

"Me too." I wiped my face on my sleeve. I felt nauseous, but didn't think I would throw up. I sat up. "Ugh, I've got to get to Mum and Dad's..." The clock said nine o'clock- I only had an hour to take the train and walk to their house.

I stood up and felt really dizzy, and took a deep breath. She handed me a glass of water. "I'll drive you to the station, if you'd like." I picked up the bag of clothing I had packed, and blinked a few times. I wished I'd thought to pack some anti-hangover potion. This was ridiculous- I hadn't even had that much champagne!

She dropped me off at the station and I told her I would see her later. I bought a bagel at a little cafe on the way and started eating, hoping that would quell my stomach. It worked mostly, and I was starting to feel better by the time I reached the house. Dad met me at the door, smiling. I leaned in and hugged him. "Hi, Dad."

"Good morning, ducky."

"How are you?" I asked, putting my bag down in the mudroom.

"Fine, fine." he said. "Come into the kitchen, have a cup of tea."

I followed him in and we got cups of tea to take to the living room. He was working on his crossword puzzle, and I knew Mum was upstairs taking a shower or doing the laundry. "How have you been?" he asked, turning towards me.

"Great." I said. "Really, really great."

"Your mum's said you've been seeing someone."

"Yes, I have." I admitted. "His name is Harry."

"He's... magical?"

"Yeah." I said. I knew that he was interested in magic, but didn't know how to express it well. "He's... pretty important in my part of town."

"What's he done?"

"He had a big role in the war... and he works in law enforcement."

"Respectable." he commented. "Will I meet this Harry at the wedding?" 

I shook my head. "He's in Egypt this week."

"For work?"

"Vacation, with his children."

"Ah, how nice." he smiled. "How many does he have?"

"He has three sons, between the ages of fifteen and ten, and a daughter who's three." I said. "They're very nice, sweet children and I like them a lot."

"He's got his hands full." he commented. "He's older than you, a bit, yeah?"

"Yeah." This was the same conversation as I'd had with everyone else. "A bit."

"Does he treat you well?" he asked, concerned.

"Exceptionally." I told him. "I'm a princess to him. His first marriage ended very roughly- and he doesn't want that to happen again. He's just a smart, beautiful person. I really enjoy being around him."

"I'm glad." he said. "I'd like to meet him."

"I'm sure he'd like to meet you too." I told him. "He was there with me the night you were in the hospital."

"Where does he live?"

"Out in the country. He works in the city but it's easier for us to travel. He has a nice home in the country- it's very cute and modest, it fits his family perfectly. There's lots of fields for him to let his kids run and play in, and there's a pond out back to go swimming and skating on in the winter."

"Very nice." he said. "Could you arrange a lunch or something with him? I'd like to get to know this gentleman. The relationship is serious?"

I nodded. "I think so." I said. "I've met his kids, so... it's kind of for serious."

Mum came downstairs, and I said hello to her too. I mostly spent the day hanging out with them, before the rehearsal dinner was that night. We went to the church in their car. I adored my parents, I really did. They had been in love for ever, and I hoped one day I might have a relationship like that- they were so old and comfortable together.

I was wearing a dress and felt nice in it, but I wished Harry was here. We were out to his family, I wanted him to come meet mine. I knew he would know exactly what to say and do so that I wouldn't be so completely bored while Maggie and Jack rearranged us and made us walk in the church twelve times.

It was a nice dinner at a restaurant in the city. Naomi had gotten a lot bigger since the last time I had seen her, and was a perfect combination of Maggie and Jack. I only had one glass of wine at dinner to avoid feeling like shite the next morning, because I still hadn't completely recovered. I had to admit, I was a little jealous of Jack and Maggie, for having all their stuff together. Even though they had Naomi earlier than most people, they both had jobs and a nice home. They were settled and happy and so in love. And they hadn't faced any problems like Harry and I would face, and that sort of worried me.

I put my head off of it and slept soundly that night. When I woke up, my head hurt again, and my stomach was a little upset. This was so uncool- I must have been coming down with some sort of bug. I put on my pretty dress and made my way over to the apartment. Elise was already there, waiting for me.

"Feeling better?" she asked.

I shrugged. "Not really."

"Could you be pregnant?"

"No." I said. " Absolutely not. I used protection."

"How many forms?"

"One." I thought about it- there was no way I could be pregnant. I'd taken the potion! I was set for a month. "How many should you need?"

She brought her hand to her face. "I'd prepare for the worst, Sadie. Always use two forms!"

"I'm sorry." I groaned. "I'm not really an expert in this relationship nitty gritty stuff. It's way too early to test, though."

"How long?"

"Eight days." I said.

She shrugged. "Wait two more- I always knew I was pregnant before I'd missed a cycle. Mum did too- so it's genetic."

"I'm just stressed out and missing him." I said. "I'm not pregnant." I tried to convince myself. "Really."

"Okay." she said. "Whatever you say..."

I put it away in my mind and concentrated on the wedding. It was a pretty wedding, traditional despite the circumstances. Jack had told me he'd always known he loved Maggie- and that it didn't matter to them when they got married. I'd thought he was crazy, but after reflecting on my relationship with Harry, it made more sense. I couldn't wait until he came home tomorrow. I just wanted a hug and a kiss and a snuggle and maybe something more...

It was also a pretty small wedding. Elise's husband Galvin hadn't come because both of her children had chicken pox. I ended up at a table with Nicholas, of all people. Sarah hadn't come with him because she was still feeling ill from pregnancy. I knew that he and Jack were friends, but I didn't know they were that good friends that he would invite his to the wedding.

"Where's your boyfriend?" he asked.

"Away." I said. "He took his children to Egypt for the week."

"Quaint." he replied, but I knew he didn't mean it.

"It is."

"When's he going to be back, again?" Elise asked.

"Tomorrow night. I'm not sure exactly when. He said he'll let me know when he's in."

"I want to meet him again when we're not freaking out about Dad." Elise said. I knew she was going to try and talk him up in front of Nick. "He's a very charming man."

"Yes."I said, smiling. I thought of him and missed him dearly. I had to admit- I wasn't all there for the reception. It was very nice- but I wasn't giving it the attention it deserved. And I don't think anyone noticed, so it was okay. I just really wanted to go home and cuddle up with Harry. Dinner was nice and then the dancing started.

"Would you like to dance?" Nicholas asked, turning to me.

"Uhm..." I said. I didn't really. I didn't think it was proper because we were both in relationships with other people- his wife was pregnant with his third child!

"For old times' sake." he said, and grabbed my hand. He was a good dancer, and in my time, I was pretty good at it too. I hadn't danced in awhile, but he pulled me into a waltz and my feet quickly remembered what to do.

"You're happy?" he asked.

"Yes." I said. "For the first time in a long time, I'm very happy. Work isn't my top priority anymore and I look forward to the weekends because it means I get to hang out with him and I'm not sitting alone in my flat anymore."

"That's good to hear." I said, "How's Sam?"

I smiled, and couldn't wait until I could go home and sleep with him curled against me. "He's good." Sam was a parting gift from Nick- so that I wouldn't be lonely... "I should probably get home and feed him, actually... I've been away for too long."

"Good night, then."

I looked over at Jack- who was in the middle of a deep conversation with some friends. Everyone I could say goodbye to was busy, and I didn't want to make a big deal about leaving early. I went back to the table. "Are you leaving?" elise asked.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Okay good- I've got to get home as well and I was waiting for you to cave."

I laughed, and we walked out together. "Good luck with everything." she said. I hugged her. "Everything will be okay."

"Thanks." I said. "I hope you're right." I apparated back to the flat, and felt dead on my feet. I sat down next to Cor, who was on the couch with a pint of ice cream and a movie.

"What's up?" she asked. "You're home early."

"Tired." I said. "Long weekend, and they're not going to miss me."

"Oh." she said. "Well, it's nice to have you home on the weekend again."

"It's nice to be here." we sat in silence for a few minutes. "Hey, Cor?"

"Yeah?"

"What's the chance the contraceptive potion might have failed?"

She turned around and looked at me full on, her eyes wide. "Why are you asking?"

I just shook my head. "What's the chance?" 

"Two percent error if taken correctly." she said, "As long as you have exactly seven days between when you took it and when you had sex. Which you did, right?"

I thought back- it was more like six and a half. "How much difference does twelve hours make, really?"

She shrugged. "They have to put a disclaimer on it, but I'd say not a ton. Why are you asking me this stuff?"

"Well, I've just been nauseous, exhausted... head-achey..."

"And that's unusual for you?"

"Yeah." I said. "Really."

She sighed. "When's your cycle due?"

I figured it out in my head- I always had a short cycle and it was hard to figure out. "Thursday, I think."

"So tomorrow you could possibly get a faint positive." she said. "If it is... I'll brew you up some potion in the morning. Everything will be okay."

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Don't worry- if you stress yourself because that could give you pregnancy symptoms."

I tried my best, but didn't get a lot of sleep that night. I was worried, but wouldn't let my mind wander off into the possibilities. When I pulled myself out of bed early the next morning, I was feeling gross again. I ate some crackers, and Cor was already working on the potion.

"Should be done soon." she said. "I found one that's especially made for detecting things early on."

I wrapped myself in a dressing gown and sat on the couch, waiting. Finally, around eleven, Cor handed me a bottle and a slip of parchment. "Take a sip of the potion, then dip the paper in it. It take about ten minutes for the results."

I nodded, and gulped it. It was mildly sweet, like a hard candy to soothe a stomach ache. I laid out the paper slip on the coffee table, and waited. "Ten minutes." she said. I looked at the clock, and studied the seconds. I knew this would be the longest ten minutes of my life. "What can we do to pass the time?"

I wished Harry was here. He should have been there, with me for shite like that. That's a good boyfriend.

"Only two more minutes." Cor announced. "That's not so bad, right?"

I shrugged, and picked up the parchment so I could know as soon as it showed it. An amount of time passed, and I felt it turn warm in my hands. In the faintest, neat script, it read...

_Pregnant._

Author's Note: This chapter is most definitely not my best work. So, sorry. And I know- some of you are going to tell me that this is going in a cliché direction. I promise, I'm doing my best not to make it cliché and please bear with me over the next two chapters or so. Also, I've been sick since I got home from vacation so sorry that I haven't been responding to my reviews. I will get on that in the morning after I've gotten some sleep. I'm hoping at least some of you will want another chapter RIGHT AWAY so if I get... 10 reviews I will post the next chapter. As always, you guys are amazing. Thanks for all the support.


	18. Chapter 18

Author's Note at the end.

I sighed, and felt warm tears falling down my face. I sunk into the couch, my whole body shaking. Cor put an arm around me. "It'll be okay." she said. "It's still faint... that means maybe it won't work out."

I just started crying harder. My life was officially over. "What am I going to do, Cor?" I sobbed. "My life is over. I can't take the promotion, I've probably screwed up my relationship with Harry, I'm not ready to have a baby. I can't do this."

She just put an arm around me. "It's going to work out, I promise." she kept saying. "I have money... set aside if I ever got into this situation to... take care of things, if you know what I mean, and if it comes to that... you can have it."

"I can't kill a life." I said. I was an absolute mess. "Oh- and I drank. I can't do that! I need to go buy like, fruits and vegetables and stuff. Shite."

I got off the couch and went into my room, finding a handkerchief and wiping my face. This was crazy, I felt so weak. "Are you going to be okay?" Cor asked, coming into my room. The room was a mess, I really needed to pick up and Sam sat on my unmade bed.

I shrugged. "I just need to talk to him. I can't do anything about anything until I see what he thinks."

"Of course." she said. "And it was- really, really light. Like, first hint of a positive. So I'd wait a few days and test again."

I nodded. "I should go get like... fruits and vegetables and vitamins and healthy shite."

"Okay." she said. "Do you want me to come?"

"I need some time to think." I told her. "I'll be back in a few hours."

"Take your time." she said. I grabbed my money, and walked into Muggle London. I kept my head down in the Leaky, or Hannah would have known that something was up. I didn't want to talk to anyone, except Harry.

But I knew it would be hours before he would be home, and even longer before he could come see me. I was trying not to think too hard about it, and digest it at the same time. I just kept thinking the same thing- I'd ruined everything by being stupid. Everything was ruined. No one, really, knew about our relationship and now he was stuck with me forever. He do the noble thing and marry me- even if he didn't want to. And people would say such unnice things about us. I was just completely heartbroken. And my parents- they would be so disappointed.

I bought some fruits and vegetables- some I'd never even heard of but their labels promised vitamins and minerals and health. I was in no hurry to go home but had no real reason to stay out. It was afternoon now, but I wasn't really hungry. The crying had made me feel sick to my stomach.

By the time I got home, there was a message on my Twig from him.

Home, safe and sound! Had a great time.

I picked it up, and contemplated what to say. I had to tell him in person.

I need to talk to you as soon as you can spare a little time.

No response right away, so I put it down for a bit. I put all my fruits and vegetables away, while Cor watched. "Would you like me to make a stir-fry for lunch?" she asked. "Some chicken, peppers, onions, maybe some mushrooms?"

"Ugh, no mushrooms." I said, wrinkling my nose.

"Okay, some chicken, peppers, onions?" she got up and pulled out a cutting board and started working. I just nodded and sat on the couch. The Twig jumped in my hand.

Everything all right?

I didn't know how I should respond to that- I knew a simple no would probably get his attention the most but I didn't want to freak him out or take him away from his kids. The selfish part of me wanted to tell him I was absolutely not okay, and I battled to supress that.

I really need you.

I decided that was enough. I waited for his response, while Cor cooked. It actually smelled really good. "Is he home?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Tell him to get his arse over here, then." she said.

"He's got to take care of the kids first." I told her.

What's wrong? Have to unpack kids. Can you come here?

There was no way that I was going there to talk. Absolutely not. I couldn't do that to him- I wasn't sure how he would respond- would he be angry? And I didn't want him to freak out.

I want to talk to you in person, alone.

It was awhile before he responded, I'd eaten the stir-fry and went in my room to try and tidy up. Probably an hour passed, and I was nervous. Did he know what was up, already?

You're scaring me, Sadie. I'll be there after dinner, or sooner if I can.

"When's he coming?" Cor asked.

"After dinner."

She sighed. "He doesn't get that it's urgent?"

I shrugged. "He's busy. He has stuff to do. And no- I didn't tell him anything about it. I want to tell him in person. And besides, a few more cell divisions isn't going to make much of a difference."

"You know the exact date of conception, at least. I think that's kinda cool."

"We've only ...done it twice, Cor. It's pretty easy to narrow down."

"Was it at least worth it?"

I didn't know what it was worth, to be honest, and therefore had nothing to base it on. Was it better than Nicholas? Probably. Nicholas had been very predictable and plain and I always knew what was coming. Harry and I had two completely different experiences. "The first time... was nice. The second time..." I trailed off, smiling fondly. "It was really good."

She grinned. "At least that's good." She put on a film and tried to distract me all day. I was thankful for it. Even after dinner- when she'd reheated the stir-fry and we ate it again, he still wasn't there and that bugged me. Every sound I heard in the building I checked for him. Cor convinced me to take a bath, because it might calm me a little. I obliged, and ran a hot bubble bath. I undressed, and examined my body. I didn't look any different. Same jiggly arse, slightly wider than necessary hips, hourglass waist. There was no sign of anything different.

After my warm, relaxing bath, I put on my silk dressing gown and wondered if it would still fit in six months- or if I'd look like Hermione had- my stomach and my chest both rounder. I knew it was still early and there was so many things that could go wrong still. As I was laying down, Sam curled up on my stomach, I heard a knock on the door. I heard Cor at it, instantly. "She's in her room." she said. I knew she wanted to be angry at him for coming so late- it was nearly nine o'clock. But she held her tongue, and I heard him open my door. I stood up, and threw myself at him, burying my head in his chest.

"Sadie." he said, and arm circling my waist and a hand going through my hair. "I got here as soon as I could, I'm sorry."

I instantly broke down, tears filling my eyes, running down my face, and plopping onto his gray, cotton shirt.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Your notes scared me- is everyone all right? Is it your dad?"

I just shook my head. And tried to stop my crying for a few minutes. "I'm pregnant." I said, pulling away from his chest so I could see his face. It went slack and he sat on my bed, nearly missing Sam.

"Fuck." he said quietly, putting his head in his hands. "Fuck fuck fuck."

I sat down next to him. "I'm sorry- I'm so sorry."

"What- what happened?" he asked. I couldn't tell if it was anger or annoyance or confusion or what in his voice.

"I don't know." I admitted. "I just... I'm either in the two percent of people who the potion doesn't work for, or I waited twelve hours too little."

I put my arm around him and he shrugged it off. "What are we going to do?" he asked. "I really don't... I don't even know what to say- what to think. I was not expecting this when I got your messages."

"I'm sorry to spring it on you." I said.

"When did you find out?"

"This morning." I told him, playing with the leather cuff around his wrist. "But... I knew last night. As soon as Elise mentioned that might be why I was feeling gross... I knew. I just didn't want to admit it."

"Christ." he murmured. "This is not good."

"I don't think so." I said. "I mean..." I had to be strong and not cry again. "I can't take that promotion while I'm pregnant. My parents will be so disappointed- I don't want to even think about it."

"We'd have to get married." he said. "Shite. I've turned into Ginny."

"Ugh." I buried my head in his shoulder. "I don't want you to think that I've done this to trap you or anything."

"Sadie." he groaned. "I think I know you better than that." He put his arm around me. "It's kind of early, isn't it? I mean, it's only been like..."

"Yeah, it is." I said. "And the positive was very faint. But I was doing some reading while I was in the tub that said Muggleborn witches who are pregnant with babies of greater Magical blood concentration than they are typically get symptoms earlier seeing as the baby they're carrying is sort of more... foreign."

"Oh." he said. "I guess that makes sense."

"Cor wants me to test again in a few days with a regular potion." I told him. "I took an early detection potion."

He nodded, and laid back on my bed. "I don't even know. I need to go home and think."

I didn't want him to leave, but I knew he had to. "I'm working tomorrow."

"What time?"

"Night shift." I said. "So I'll be around all day."

"I'm not working either. I took the day off so that I could get the house back together...all the kids will be at Ginny's mother's." he said. "So why don't we both think about it and get together again tomorrow?"

"I've thought about it." I said. "But you deserve the time to think as well. I'll come over tomorrow."

He picked me up in his arms, and I kissed him. "I'm sorry."

"Me too." I whispered, and felt more tears start. "I... ugh, I'd planned all day what I might say to you at this point but I don't know anymore. I just don't know."

"Me either." he said. "I mean, I think I love you. I know I love you, but... everything's still so new and we've only been going out for a month and a half which is no time at all and my kids... where would we even put another baby? And the press. Fuck. And Ginny would probably tear one of us apart, I'm not sure which, it... ugh. And I don't want to ruin your life. Okay. I need... to think."

I nodded and stood up. He hugged me and handed me my handkerchief from way back. "We'll figure it out." I said.

"Yeah." he murmured into my hair. "They're leaving at nine."

"I'll be over at nine fifteen."

He apparated from there, since we didn't have any wards up. I repositioned Sam, so he was curled up against me. Cor came into my room. "Well?" she asked.

"He needs time to think, as I got." I said. She sat on the end of my bed.

"Well? How did he react?"

"I think he's confused and doesn't really know how to act." I said. "So we'll talk again in the morning."

She was thinking, I could tell. "Do you think he would be okay if you decided you wanted to end the pregnancy? He seems kind of like a touchy-feely guy who wants as many kids as he can get."

"I don't know. We didn't talk about it. I'm sure he's thinking about it and we'll deal with it tomorrow."

I went to his house at exactly nine fifteen the next day, after a night of not a lot of sleep and a lot of strange dreams. He sat with a cup of coffee on the patio. "Morning." he said, as he saw me coming, and summoned a bowl of fruit salad. I'd been too busy to notice his new tan yesterday. He summoned me a glass of juice. No caffeinated coffee for me today.

"How was your night?"

"Lily threw up." he said. "I think she ate something a little off at one of the portkey terminals."

"Poor Lily." I said. "I'll make up some stomach settling potion. I could use some too."

"Yeah?" he asked.

I nodded. "How was your night... in other ways?"

He removed his glasses and leaned forward, pinching the bridge of his nose. He groaned. "I don't even know what to say. I mean, on one hand... I'm ruining your life, obviously. There's no way you could take that promotion, so you'll not be able to advance in your career and we both know how important that is to you, and I feel like marrying you right now would cause so much of a scene, it wouldn't be worth it. And that's not what you want- you've said it before, you're not destined to be a housewife and a stay at home mum."

"I'm not ready to be a mum." I admitted. I didn't know how to take care of children unless they were sick.

"That too." he said. "But on the other hand... Marrying you would be the right thing to do- wouldn't it? And like, the kids would deal and adjust- they did with Ginny and Margot. And, I don't know. You heard me before- the kids are the most important thing in my life. And, technically..."

I nodded. "Cor offered to pay for an abortion for me." I said.

His eyes went down, and I knew that wasn't what he wanted. "I don't know what to say. It is your body that will have to carry this baby for nine months and give up your career." he said. "So, I feel like you should get a bigger say than me."

I nodded. "I don't know. I've thought about it and I don't know. I need like, a sign or something."

He sighed. "If life was only that easy." he said.

"What would you do?" I asked. "If you were me."

He thought about it, I could see his tanned skin wrinkled in his brow as he thought. "I don't know..." he said. "When my career was my number one priority- before the divorce, I probably would have ended the pregnancy. But I couldn't do it now."

I nodded. "And it's not like I'm a teenager, adoption isn't really an option."

"If you were going to go through with the pregnancy, I'd take care of it- even if you didn't want the baby. I've done it before."

"I know." I said. "But I don't...know."

"Me either." he sighed. "We're great." he muttered sarcastically.

I had the nagging feeling my mum would know what to do. "I think I should go talk to my mum."

"Okay." he said.

"She will know what do to."

"Do you want me to come with you?" he asked. He looked nervous. I didn't think that would be a good first meeting for him and my father.

"I don't think so." I told him. "But I'll be back... in a few hours or something."

"Molly has the kids until after dinner." he said. "So take your time."

~~~~~~~~~~  
Author's Note: Thanks for all the reassuring reviews that last chapter wasn't cliché. A few people wished I'd gone into more detail for Jack's wedding- but really, there wasn't any need. I know last chapter was not my best work- it has bad pace and glides over some details and was a pain in the butt to write. So hopefully this chapter was better? Let me know in the reviews. Same thing applies- ten reviews = automatic update, less than that = waiting. So review, review, review!


	19. Chapter 19

Author's Note at the end.

I hugged and kissed him, and apparated to an alley near their house. I walked the block to their house, and saw my Mum outside watering flowers. "Well this is a surprise." she said, as I walked up the walkway.

"Hello." I said.

She came over and hugged me. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked, leading me into the house. "You seemed to tear out of the wedding pretty fast the other night.

"I wasn't feeling great." I admitted. "And I was just hoping I could get some advice from you, actually."

"Advice?" she asked, turning on a pot for tea. "Hmm, that sounds interesting. I hope you weren't coming to pick your father's brain, as he's off at the club playing golf."

"No, no." I told her. "Just you."

"Tea? Coffee? I could make you some hot chocolate if you wanted..."

"That sounds nice." I said, and she placed a mug in front of me.

"Where would you like to do this talking? Here? The living room?"

"Wherever." I said, and followed her into the living room. She sat down on the couch, and I sat on the opposite end, both of us facing in.

"So, what's up?" she asked. "What kind of advice? Relationship? Life?"

"Both?" I shrugged. "I've gotten myself in a bit of a jam. I just don't want you to freak out."

"Is everything all right?" she asked, concern evident in her face. "Are you still dating Harry?"

"Yes, yes." I dismissed. "That's what I've come to talk about. I'm sort of... pregnant."

Her jaw dropped a little and she looked surprised. "Sort of?"

"Well, yeah." I said. "The test result was very faint, but we're preparing for the worst. Or best, I dunno how you look at it."

"Wow." she said. "That's very... surprising. I didn't know you were..."

"We weren't trying or anything- I used a contraceptive- it either didn't work on my body or I waited a few hours less than I was supposed to and now I'm pregnant."

"How far along are you?" she asked. "You haven't been seeing this man for that long..."

"I'm really not far along at all. Just the very beginning of everything... most people wouldn't even know they were pregnant at this point."

"Well, women in my family always know early."

"Plus..." I wanted to explain to her. "Harry has a stronger magical blood quality than I do- I've got only a tiny bit, but he's half pure-blood and half like me- so there's a lot of magic in my system right now so it's easier to tell earlier."

"I see." she said. "I do think I could tell with you the earliest."

"And that's probably why."

"So what does Harry think of all of this?"

"We don't know what to think, really." I said. "He doesn't want to make a decision really because he doesn't want to be the one to ruin my life."

"Ruin your life?"

"Because I've just got the promotion at work that would help me advance my career like I would like it to." I said. "And he knows that my career is especially important to me."

"Yes." she was thinking. "Could he support another child? Financially?"

"Oh, totally. He's got a ton of money- not a problem at all. And he's got a good job as well- he's the first person under the Head of Law Enforcement."

"Does he want another child? He's already got a few."

"I'm not really sure. We talked about this a few weeks ago and he felt satisfied for now. His godson, who's fifteen, will be out of the house in a few years, and his youngest- his daughter, has seizures and he'd like to get them better under control, so he's got his hands full. But he said he would have another in a few years if I wanted. He's an amazing father."

"I didn't know you wanted children." she admitted. "I thought that was why you and Nicholas broke up."

"No." I said. "That was because he wanted his kids to be raised in this world and I want my kids to be magical, if they were so inclined."

"Oh." she said. "I never knew that." It was true, as bad as that was. I hadn't really discussed the break up much with my parents.

"Well, we couldn't really tell people. His family didn't know what I did- they just thought I worked at an alternative lifestyle hospital."

"True." she said. "So what kind of vibe are you getting off him? What would he do if he were you?"

"He said that if he was at the same point of life as me- my career being my biggest priority, he would have probably ended the pregnancy."

She nodded. "Would you do that?"

"I... don't... I don't think I could." I said. "I mean, part of me thinks that I should just do it and get on with it and have a baby in three years which is kind of what we decided before..."

"But part of you?"

"Wonders what it would be like to have this baby."

"What if you can't get pregnant again? And you gave away your only chance at being a Mum?" she asked.

"I probably wouldn't be very happy with myself. I'd be quite angry, actually." I had never thought about that.

"I... I know what I would do." she said. "But I'm not you and I can't tell you what to do."

This wasn't what I wanted. I wanted her to tell me exactly what I should do and give me a hug. "What would you do?"

"Marry Harry and have the baby. But career was never a priority for me- not at all. It's just a career. I'm sure you could talk to your superiors and figure something out."

"To be honest, I think my superior right now would kill me." I said.

She chuckled. "Do you love Harry?" she asked. "I mean, really love. Do you see the two of you together when you're older?"

"Yes." I said., then paused. "But it's all so new. We haven't fought yet, even. And his god son isn't overly fond of me, and I don't want him to feel like he's getting replaced or anything."

"You would work through these issues." she said. "You're carrying the baby of a man you love... I always thought it was a bit of an honor."

"He would have to marry me."

"Your father and I didn't go out very long." she told me. "Less than six months. When you find the right person, you know."

"Things were different, then." I said. "Plus... in our world, he's a bit of a celebrity because he had a big role in the war a few years back- and this would cause a huge scandal for him."

"He's made it clear to you that he kind of wants the baby, hasn't he?" she asked. "Don't you think he would field it?"

"Yeah." I said. "I think he would."

We sat in silence for a few more minutes. "What do you think?" she asked.

I'd spent so much time thinking about it. "I... I just don't want you and Dad to think poorly of me." I admitted.

"Oh, love." she said, pulling me into a hug. "We would never. You are such a successful, beautiful person... You're not the first of our children to have their own baby without being married first. And at least you seem like you'd get married right away. We love you."

I nodded. "Thanks, mum."

"So?"

"I think I've got to keep it." I said.

She hugged me. "I'm glad."

"It's not going to be very easy."

"No, I doubt it."

"Please don't tell Dad." I said. "After we go to our first doctor's appointment we will come talk to him together, all right? I don't want him to be angry."

"You're not sixteen, Sadie." she said. "He knows that you're an adult and make adult descisions."

I nodded. "I should get back to Harry."

"All right." she said. She hugged me one more time. "Congrats, sweetie."

"Thanks, Mum. For everything."

I apparated right from the living room, into his living room. He was in the kitchen, making lunch. "Hello." he called.

"Hey." I said, coming up behind him and putting my arms around him. I held him tight. "How bad would it be if I kept it?"

"Not." he said. "That's would your mum said?"

"Pretty much." I said. "She was very supportive."

"Good." he turned to face me. "Teddy will be angry, but we'll deal with it. Gods, we've got a lot to deal with."

I nodded. "We do."

"And... eventually... we've got to get married..."

Married. To him. Thinking about it both horrified me and filled me with a good feeling. I tried not to think too hard. "Let's not tell anyone until I go to the doctor and they make sure everything is okay."

"Okay." he said. He wasn't smiling but he didn't look quite as pained as before. "I got you some things in Egypt."

"Gifts?" I asked.

He went into the living room and I followed him. He handed me two little packages. I opened the first one, and it was a leather bracelet like the one he was wearing. He fastened it on for me. "Looks good." he said.

I opened the second one. It was a necklace, and the pendant was made out of crystal. On the back, stuff was etched in. "What is that?"

"It's supposed to symbolize the Egyptian goddess of fertility." he said. "I was thinking more in your job and money, but I guess it decided to interpret it in another way."

I chuckled, and tucked it in my pocket. "Thanks." I kissed him.

"Of course." he murmured into my hair. "Let's eat lunch outside."

"And then I've got to leave, so I can take a nap before work."

He nodded.

~~~~~~~

I didn't see Cor until we got to work, and she wanted to know what had happened, but Brynne was on top of us practically all night, sending us off in two different directions. We just decided to wait until our shifts were over and we would grab breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron. Finally, seven in the morning came we were finally able to leave, going straight to the Leaky. Hannah served us both breakfast and left us alone.

"Well?" Cor asked. She handed me a little orange bottle. "Stomach settling that I grabbed for you."

I hadn't felt sick yet today, but took it because I didn't want to get sick. "Thanks." I said. "And we'll... keep it."

I could tell she didn't love that idea. "So you'll marry him?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I said, as weird as that was.

"Damn..." she said. "You're so young."

"I would have been married at twenty four if I was still with Nicholas."

"That's really young." she said, frowning. "You know my offer is still open."

"I know." I said. "And thanks. But I can't do it and he doesn't want me too."

"Did he pressure you into it?" she asked. "Because, honestly, this morning I thought you'd get rid of it."

"No he didn't." I said. "Not at all. Don't worry about that."

"Well, don't tell anyone until we do a real test on Wednesday." she told me. "I'll start brewing it tonight."

"I was going to wait until I saw a doctor."

"You're going Muggle with this?"

"Oh." I realized. That probably wasn't a good idea. "Well, a Healer or whatever. I don't know."

"I can't believe this. Two months ago I never could have guessed this would happen. Now you're leaving. Shite, I'm going to have to look for another roommate."

I was suddenly very sad about leaving. I didn't really want to leave our apartment. I had a bad feeling in my stomach, but tried to shake it off. "I know." I swallowed. "I'll be working though, and you're my best friend, Cor. When I move out it doesn't mean you're not still my friend."

She nodded and pushed the food around her plate.

Author's Note: So, yeah. It was a bit of a short chapter, but the next one is long and you'll be thankful I ended where I did once you read what comes next. I just want the people who see this part of the story and are doubtful to stick out the next few chapters, please. Everything is not as it seems, and what might be cliché right now might not be three chapters down the road. I'm talking to you, Euphoria, since I can't reply to you directly. I'm glad you sent me a review and told me what you feel, but to be honest, I'm not going to change any of the story because one of my reviewers tells me to. A few chapters back, weren't you the one who wanted me to marry you? So I'm asking you to stick out a few more chapters and let me know what you think. Also, I wasn't blown away by the reviews :( Only five. So this chapter is a day later than it could have been, guys! But anyways, to the people that reviewed, thank you so much. I'm only one alert from 100 :D


	20. Chapter 20

Author's Note at the end.

It was a long two days before I tested again... I watched her make the potion. She made a big batch, so we would never have to make it again, and Wednesday before work, made me take some.

I did, and held the paper in my hands. "This is dumb." I said. "I feel pregnant. I know I'm pregnant."

"Okay." she said. The paper became warm, and I looked at it. "Just some reassurance."

Not pregnant.

I gasped. "What does that mean, Cor?" I asked.

"I don't know." she said. "I must have made a mistake- it must not be a good batch." It made me worried and unsettled. "I'll buy some pre-made at the apothecary after work and we'll test again."

I nodded, and went off to my shift. But I didn't feel well, I was clammy and nervous and my stomach was upset. I didn't know what it meant. Brynne kept staring at me weird, questioning my less than stellar phyiscal appearance. "Lewis." she said. "Everything okay?"

"Fine." I said.

"Go to Employee Health. You're looking a little off." she said. "Now." she prompted, when she saw me stall. I obeyed, and went two floors up to the Employee Health booth.

"I've been sent up here by Brynne Marquee." I told the woman at the front desk there.

"Sit down in the waiting room, your name will be called in about five minutes."

I did as I was told, and ten minutes later was waiting in a small room for a Healer. The Healer came in and introduced herself- Susanna Marx, her name was. She was about fifty, with grey starting to come through to her hair and wrinkles at her eyes.

"What seems to be the problem, today?" she asked.

"My Head healer told me I was looking a bit off." I said.

"Oh- well, I'll cast a few diagnostic charms on you, I'm sure you know how they work, and we'll see if anything is amiss." I agreed to them, and noted that nothing was really wrong with me. "You seem fine, a little tired, your eyes are a bit bloodshot, your muscles are a little weak, but everything seems relatively fine."

I nodded.

"So maybe you just need a day off to rest?" she asked, taking out a quill.

"Can I ask a question?"

"Of course."

"So, say someone got a positive on an early check pregnancy potion- I mean, a light positive, but a positive. And then like, three or four days later took a real- but home brewed, pregnancy potion and got a negative. Are they still pregnant?"

She crossed her arms. "Would you like me to just do a pregnancy scan, on you?" she asked. I nodded, and laid back, moving my shirt up. She cast a spell of my stomach, and looked at all the colors that formed. "Well, it looks like you might have had a little bit of a pregnancy form in there, but there's nothing viable. You probably just had a chemical pregnancy."

"Am I pregnant?" I asked, nervous. I couldn't really understand this.

"Not anymore, Miss Lewis." she said. "I'm really sorry."

I felt like I'd been slapped. When I took the potion it had just made me a little anxious, but now, knowing for sure...

I felt awful, like I might throw up. Immediately, tears formed in my eyes and started rolling down my face. "Oh."

"I'm very sorry." she said. "It has no reflection on your fertility, and you'll probably be able to get pregnant again right away, if you'd like."

I grabbed a tissue, and dabbed at my face. "I'm just so..." I didn't even know. Dissapointed? Angry? Relieved? I didn't know.

"Why don't you just take the rest of today off, then?" she asked. "What does your work schedule look like for the rest of the week?"

"I'm supposed to work the day shift both Thursday and Friday." I said.

"Why don't you just take them all off?" she said. "Just take them all off, go relax, catch up with some sleep, do something you enjoy..." she suggested.

"Thanks." I dabbed at my eyes. I needed to talk to Harry.

"So I'll send a note to your superiors and you go home. Here, why don't you take this calming potion, all right, love?" she told me. I walked out of the office feeling numb, and apparated to our flat. I felt so empty, but I needed to tell Harry now. I sent him a few messages on the Twig, but none of them were read, so I decided I needed to see him.

The ministry was as large as I remembered, from the one time I'd been there previously. I followed the directions and took a lift, and ended up in front of the Auror department. There was a woman sitting at a desk there.

"I need to see Harry Potter." I said, quietly, to the woman.

"Do you have an appointment?" she asked, looking up at me, bored.

"Well, no." I admitted. "But I really need to see him. It's an emergency."

"Yeah right, lady." she laughed. "No one gets in to see him. You might want to try out the Minister's security next."

I panicked- I really needed to see him, and now this woman thought I belonged with, like, Witch Weekly or something. I sighed. "Look, I really need to see him. Could you at least page him and then ask him if he wants to see me? My name is Sadie Lewis."

"No, ma'am. Now please, leave, or I will have to call security."

I sighed angrily. The doors opened, and Ron walked out, with a guy I didn't recognize next to him. "Ron!" I said, and he turned around.

"Sadie?" he asked, looking very confused. "What- what are you doing here?"

"I really need to talk to Harry and he's not answering his Twig and this woman won't let me in. It's really urgent- I wouldn't bother him at work if I didn't absolutely have to."

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I can't tell you." I said. "But I really, really need him."

He studied me for a moment, and nodded. "Come on, he's in a meeting right now but I'll take you to his office." I followed him back through a few sets of doors, past meeting rooms and little cubicles. We got to a big, shiny door with Harry's name on it, and Ron let me in. "He'll be in the meeting for about twenty more minutes. I'll send him the message that you're waiting for him here. Just don't go anywhere- you really shouldn't be here for a couple of reasons."

I nodded, and sat down in the chair in front of his desk. Ron shut the door and left. I examined his office- it was a formal, gray color. There were a few awards and plaques in a corner, and a couple picture frames on his desk. I went around to look at them, sitting in his chair, which was much more comfortable than the other one. There was a picture of him and his all his children in Egypt, that I hadn't seen. I picked it up and examined it. Lily sat on Teddy's shoulders, and Harry had an arm around Al and Jay.

It was a really nice picture. There was another picture of Harry holding Lily right after she was born. That was the picture that most reflected the 'dark age' for him. He had bags under his eyes and was pretty skinny, wearing a big sweater to try and hide it. His hair looked stringy. But when he leaned down to kiss Lily's head of red hair, his eyes lit up and he grinned. It was a beautiful sight. Next to that was a picture of Teddy and Jay in their Hogwarts Robes last year. Jay was in Gryffindor and Teddy was a Hufflepuff.

I saw his Twig sitting on his desk, next to a pile of parchment. I picked it up, and read through our conversation. I saw there were other conversations in there too- one with Ron, another with Hermione, and I scrolled down and say a few with Ginny. What was she doing in there? I went to look at the conversation, but the door opened and Harry came in.

"What's wrong?" he asked, strolling over to me. I was overcome by emotion when I saw him and started to cry again. He picked me up out of my seat at his desk, and cupped my face, trying to stare at me. "Sadie? Love?"

As soon as I saw the concern in his eyes, I started sobbing, leaving my head on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" he repeated. "Is everything all right? Is is the baby?"

I nodded. "I'm not pregnant anymore." I managed.

"Oh my God." he said. His eyes were wide and his jaw was slack. "How do you know?"

"Negative potion and I went to a Healer. She said I had a chemical pregnancy- a baby started to form but there was too much wrong with it for my body to carry it like it should."

"Like a miscarriage?" he asked.

"Sorta." I said. "But earlier."

"Christ." he pulled me close into him, and his eyes were extra wet. "Sadie... shhh... it's going to be okay." My crying slowed because I was just so tired that I couldn't do it anymore. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"The Healer I saw said I should just take the rest of the week off." I told him. "To rest and relax and do something I enjoy."

"That's good." he said. "Really."

"I know that pregnancy shouldn't have even happened and it was at the worst possible time and you didn't really want to marry me and I really didn't want to leave Cor... but at the same time I imagined what it might have been like and it was a nice thought."

"Of course..." he said, rubbing my back. There was a knock on his door, and he went to go answer it. He went out in the hallway and dealt with it, and came back in a few minutes later. "I took the rest of the day off. I'm taking you home."

We Floo'd from him office, into his bedroom. We could hear noise downstairs. "I forgot my kids were home." he said. "Shite. Do you want to Floo back to the office and go to the Atrium and apparate from there?"

"It's fine." I said. "I'd rather see them three than a thousand people I don't know." He nodded, and opened his door. The boys were playing exploding snap on the living room floor. Al sat in a chair off to the side, watching, and reading a book.

"Papa!" Al said. "You're home early!"

"Just for a minute, Al." he called. "Sadie's had a bad day at work so I'm just taking her home and then I will go back to work."

"Is everything all right?"Al asked, meeting us at the bottom of the stairs. "You look sad, Sadie."

I nodded. "Everything's okay, Al, thank you." I said. He leaned in and wrapped his arms around my stomach, hugging me. I leaned into it and put my arm around him. "Hello Jay, Teddy."

"Hi." they chorused.

"I'll be back later." Harry said. "Be good." We walked out to the apparition point, and apparated to my flat. Sam was meowing at me as soon as I got in, and he picked me up. "I'll go get something for lunch- oh, do you have food here? I see a thing of vegetables..."

"I thought it might be a good idea to eat healthily." I sniffled. "You can throw them away, I won't eat them if I don't have to."

He chuckled. "Well, you live above the ice cream place, right? I'll just go get us a really large ice cream sundae to go." He left. I picked Sam up and put him in my lap, petting him. He nuzzled against me, purring loudly.

"It looks like you have me to yourself for awhile longer." I whispered to him. Harry came back, carrying a massive ice cream sundae and two spoons. He was trying to cheer me up, I could tell, and I was just sad again. He sat next to me on the couch, and handed me a spoon. "Are you really going back to work?"

"No, I just needed to tell them I wouldn't be home until later." he said. I started eating the ice cream, but it tasted too sweet in my mouth. I felt like I'd eaten enough sugar to kill someone. I put down the spoon, and wiped my mouth. I just felt wrong.

"I'm sorry." I said, as he still ate the ice cream. I felt bad that he'd bough the ice cream for me and I wouldn't eat it. He put his own spoon down, and pulled me closer to him.

"Can I do anything?" he asked. "To make you feel better? Anything, really."

I shook my head. "You've done enough." I said. Leaving work, getting me ice cream, being so sad himself... he had reacted in a very kind way for me.

"Well, you have a little time off." he said. "Do you want to go to a Muggle spa, or something?"

"Too much time to think." I admitted.

"Or maybe a trip- somewhere nice?" he asked. "I've got to work, but I'd pay for Cor or your sister or someone to go with you."

"You don't need to buy me a distraction." I told him. There was nothing that would make me really happy, right now, except maybe a time turner to go to yesterday.

"I just want you to feel better. I don't want you sitting here, being depressed."

"I need to grieve." I said, angrily. He just wanted to have me move on- today. I needed time to get through this. I knew I wasn't being my rational self, probably due to my still surging hormones. The last reminder of this pregnancy that wasn't.

"I know, Sadie." he sighed. "But... isn't it any bit of a relief to you? I mean, it was going to ruin your career, and it would've been a really hard to deal with thing."

I pulled away from him, getting really angry at this now. "My career would have been fine." I sniffled, my chest and throat tight as they fought tears. "I would have dealt. There are more important things than work." I was being totally irrational but couldn't stop it. "Don't you care about it at all?"

"Of course I do." he said, struggling to remain calm. "Sadie, you need to calm down. I didn't mean to make you upset. I was just trying to remind you that this isn't the complete end of the world."

"You don't understand." I said. "You'd think you would, by now. I mean, you've been through miscarriages before. You should understand."

"You're being irrational, Sadie." his voice escalated into angry now. "Of course I understand, but it was a mistake anyways. It wasn't meant to happen. We weren't meant to get married right now- you said it yourself, you weren't ready to be a mum. We can try again in a few years, once everyone knows we're in a relationship and we've married. Don't you see? It wasn't meant to be."

I pushed away from him, getting off the couch. I was so, blisteringly angry at him, I could have hit him. "Just go away." I cried, moving towards my room. I shut the door behind me, wanting to be alone. He was at the door in a second, and I flicked my wand to lock it.

"Sadie, I'm an Auror. A simple locking charm isn't going to deter me." he said. "But please let me in. Can we talk about this?"

His voice was sweet and sad and made me ache. I didn't want to talk, though. "I just need some time to be alone."

"No you don't." he said. "You shouldn't be alone right now. You need someone who loves you here. I'm trying to be supportive. I'm sorry if I'm not. Just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it."

"I want you to go away." I begged. "Please."

He groaned. "Please let me in." he begged right back. I stood at the door, blocking it, but I knew he could still get in. He apparated directly behind me, pulling an arm around me. I jumped- he shouldn't have been able to apparate from room to room in our flat.

"How'd you do that?" I asked, shrugging him off.

"I'm an Auror. I can move through wards." he said, and his stiff face softened. He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close.

"Stop touching me, please, I just want to be left alone. That's all I want." He was staring off behind me. I turned, and saw the bottle of calming potion on my night stand.

"Where'd you get this?" he asked, picking it up.

"Healer."

"Take some." he said, uncorking it for me. "Please. It'll make you feel better."

I was about to refuse, but the look in his eyes forced me to take a big sip of it. I took it and laid down on my bed, immediately feeling like a wave of calm had washed over me. I still hurt and ached deep inside me, but I felt better about it. He sat down next to me, and I didn't feel like pushing him away. "Better?" he asked.

I nodded into his chest. "Yeah." I said. "I'm just... I was dumb about it, you know? I let my emotions get the better of me and I thought about what it might be like. Being someone's wife and being a mum. I let my mind think about a little dark haired baby... It didn't seem like such a bad idea."

"Yeah." he said. "It will happen someday, I promise you."

I laid on the bed for awhile, until I felt calm overtake me and fell asleep.

Author's Note: Wow! Can you believe it? Already 20 chapters! In less than a month. I'm not saying anything about this chapter, I want to know what you think! Thanks, as always, for all the support!


	21. Chapter 21

Author's Note at the end.

When I awoke, awhile later, I felt groggy and a little gross, like a potion-induced sleep would leave me. He wasn't next to me anymore, and I clutched a pillow to my chest. The overwhelming feeling of sereneness had left me, so I took a smaller sip of the calming potion, and left my room to check for him. He sat at the kitchen table, parcels of parchment spread around him, scribbling something. It was getting dark outside, behind him. I looked to the clock- it was nearly seven.

"Hey." he said. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better." I admitted. I realized I was still wearing my blue, Healer's robes, and took them off. I went in my room and slipped on my silk nightgown. "How are you?"

"Fine." he shrugged.

"Shouldn't you be home with the kids?" I asked, yawning. I sat down next to him.

"Probably." he said. "I went to Molly's, got Lily, brought her home and fed them all dinner, pretending I'd been to work. And then I told them that you had a very bad day and needed a friend and if it was all right by them, I was going to go visit you."

"That was sweet." I said. "But you don't need to stay. You should be home with them."

"No- it's okay. Really." he answered. "I've got some take away warming on the counter, waiting for you, and I've just been working on some stuff for work. I could probably swing getting tomorrow off at work, if you'd like."

"It's fine." I said. "You can go. I'll probably just go see my Mum. I need to talk to her again."

"What did you tell her?" he asked.

"That I was pregnant and I just asked her advice. And I told her that we would get married, since I told her I had decided I should keep it. But now it doesn't matter, so I thought I should update her."

"Does your father know?"

"No." I said. "He knows about you, but I asked Mum not to tell him. I told her we would come together after we'd been to an official Healer's appointment and tell him that I was pregnant and that we were engaged and we were going to get married."

"Okay." he said.

"Why?"

"Just curious." he replied. "Are you going to tell him?"

"Maybe. I don't know. I don't like to keep big secrets from my parents. I'll see what comes up. He won't be angry."

"Okay." he said, cautiously. "I can't imagine how I would feel if Lily was in this situation."

"Seeing as she's three, I don't think you've got much to worry about." I joked, getting up and getting us dinner. I put the plates of steak, rice, and fries in front of us and we ate. I was more hungry now than I was earlier.

"You know what I mean." he said. "You must be feeling better if you're being sarcastic to me."

I just ate the food. "The calming potion helped." I said. "I feel like my head might be screwed on in the right direction again."

"Good." he said, putting an arm around me. "Still, can we do something fun this weekend? Just... to have fun. Make each other smile, yeah?"

"Sure." I said. "But I bet Brynne will make me work again as soon as I can."

"Well, I can just work some charm or something..." he said. "We will figure it out."

The door opened and Cor stood there, looking exhausted. She was surprised to see Harry, I was sure. "What happened to you?" she asked. "Brynne was going crazy looking for you."

"I'm not pregnant anymore." I told her, the words coming out shaky. Harry squeezed my hand.

"I'm sorry." she said, looking really shocked. "I'm so sorry."

I nodded, and tried to be strong. "So I've been given the rest of the week off."

"Of course." she said, still wearing a look of shock. "Wow... Does Brynne know?"

"Of course not." I said. "She doesn't need to- medical privacy and all. If she did she'd probably kill me."

She snorted. "Can I do anything...?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Thank you, Cor." I said. "Harry, you should go. Go put Lily to bed. I'll talk to you in the morning." He leaned in and kissed me, and got up, Flooing home.

"How did you find out?" she asked.

"I asked the Healer at Employee Health." I told her. "She said I had a chemical."

"That sucks." she said. "I'm so sorry."

I nodded. I called my mum and told her I was coming for lunch tomorrow, then crawled into bed. The calming potion had warn off and I was so sad again... I knew I should take more. I took a few minutes and let myself hurt, remembering that these were normal emotions. But then I decided I didn't want to be alone and awake and dwell on sadness, and took the potion.

It made me feel numb, but I drifted into sleep and everything was fine...

I visited Mum as soon as I was awake, needing to talk to her. I sent Harry a message with my Twig, telling him I was going to visit her and I would send him a message when I was home. I'd taken enough of the potion that my emotions were all pretty low, but I was out of potion now. I knew I would be okay for the visit there, though.

I was stuck in rush hour traffic on the tube, and eventually gave up to walk. By the time I approached the familiar house, I was tired again. She was in the kitchen, making tea when I came in.

"Sadie, you're early." she said, rushing over to hug me. I let myself breathe in the embrace- she was good at giving hugs.

"I hope that's okay?" I asked. "I couldn't sleep any more and didn't want to lay there awake."

"Always. Your father is playing chess in the park." she said, making me a hot chocolate. "How are you?"

I didn't know what words to use to tell her I was sad, angry, numb, and just a tiny bit relieved. But right now, mostly numb. "I lost the baby." I said, hurt overtaking numbness.

She immediately wrapped her arms around me. "I'm so sorry." Even she sounded sad, and for a few moments I was afraid she might cry, which would have made me start to cry. "I'm so, so sorry, ducky."

I nodded, and felt my eyes tear up. "I know it wasn't supposed to happen, and it was going to mess up my whole life, but I'd sort of gotten used to the idea and it didn't seem so bad."

"Everything happens for a reason." she said. "And I mean that by the fact that you got pregnant, not that you lost it. You realize now that kids are a big deal. What does Harry think?"

"I don't think he's quite as sad as me- he's been through miscarriages before, but he was pretty upset. He's being really good to me- offered to send me to a spa, or go on a trip or something."

"Your relationship is all right, though?"

"Yeah, I think it is." I thought about it. "Well, we did have out first fight, sort of, the other night... I just told him he wasn't being sad enough, but I was completely hormonal and messed up about it."

"How did you fix it?"

"Well, he gave me some calming potion and I felt much better and apologized..." I said.

"Is that safe for you to take?" she asked. "Or will it just suppress your emotions?"

"I don't know." I admitted. "I'm out of it now, anyways."

She handed me a tin of cookies, and I took a few. "I'm so sorry you've had to go through that." she said, putting an arm around me. "Sometimes I wish I could take a shield and just protect my children, even if you are all adults now.."

"I know." I said. "Me too."

"So you won't be getting married?" she asked.

I shook my head. "In a few years."I said, sitting back on the couch. "Not right now. No need right now. We still have so much stress to come about our relationship- telling his ex-wife's family, because they're like his family, when the press finds out..."

"Have you met his parents?"

"They're both dead." I told her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." she said.

"They died when he was a baby."

"How sad." she commented. A few minutes of silence passed, as I watched out the windows. Birds flew around the front yard, and I heard the distinct sounds of traffic not too far away. "I have an idea."

"What?" I asked.

"Your father and I are going up to the coast for our vacation tomorrow." she said. "Why don't you two come up this weekend? Or does he have his children?"

"No, it's just us for the weekends." I said. "I'd really like that. Thanks, Mum."

"And then your father can finally meet him." she said. "He's jealous that I've met him. I think he will like Harry, though."

"I think so too. I will tell him tonight, but I think he will be agreeable to it. He wanted for us to go away this weekend, so this works out well."

"Good." she said, looking very pleased with herself. "Saturday night, then, at the cottage."

I smiled, remembering the fond, childhood memories I had at this cottage. Playing in the sand with Elise, throwing sea weed at Jack, long walks down to the town center, ice cream melting faster than we could eat it, and warm, balmy summer nights. It was an annual tradition, but we had all stopped going once we'd all gone to college or gotten a family or decided to become a Healer.

I spent most of the morning and early afternoon at the house with Mum. She needed help rearranging her scrapbook stuff, and asked me to do it for her. It was easy organizing and good because it got my mind off of other things. I needed somewhere to go to escape my grief, and this was the closest I'd gotten, sitting in the musty, wood paneled room that used to be my bedroom. Bright sunlight streamed in through the one, oddly shaped window, and cast a funny shape on the wall.

Then mum made lunch- chicken salad sandwiches and we ate them outside in the backyard. "Someday, Sadie, you will make a great mum." she told me. "I really, truly believe that."

"Thank you so much." I said, and that meant a lot to me. I thought my mum was a really great one- she had always been there for me, not judging, and supported who I was. Who could ask for any more?

I had nothing else to do, so after I left there, I walked through the park. It was technically bringing me in the right direction toward the flat, and it made me feel a little better to be outside, in the sun. The birds were singing, and the trees swayed in a light breeze. Since it was during business hours on a Thursday, the park was mostly deserted and I was able to just enjoy it to myself. I liked that.

But I could only stay out for so long, before making it back to the flat. I sent Harry a message, and about ten minutes later, he was standing in my flat.

"How are you today?" he asked, pulling me into his arms. He'd managed to get out of work early.

"I'm out of calming potion." I said. "So I'll probably turn batty really soon."

"That's all right." he murmured into my hair. We laid on the couch.

"How are you?"

"Okay." he said. "I made sure I hugged all my kids last night."

I nodded, and smiled faintly.

"I've done something for you for tomorrow, I hope that's alright." he said.

"What?" I asked, sitting up.

He dug around in his pocket, and pulled out a piece of paper. "I had my secretary look up a Muggle spa for you and at lunch I called them up and asked them if I sent you to them tomorrow, if they could just give you a day to make you feel nice."

"You didn't have to do that." I said, but I was sure glad that he had. I took it and looked at the address he had written down and the time- nine o'clock. It was one of the top spas in the city. I leaned my head against him. "Thank you."

"I forget what they told me they'll do to you... but it sounded very relaxing." he said.

"Thank you so much." I leaned up and kissed him. "I made plans for us for the weekend."

"Oh." he looked surprised. "What are we going to do?"

"We're going to go to the coast." I said. "My parents rent a cottage for a week every summer and my mother invited us for Saturday night."

"With your parents?"

"Is that okay?" I asked, nervous that he would object.

"What if your father hates me?" he asked. "And then we're stuck in a cottage together?"

"He won't hate you." I said. "He already likes you... I promise. My dad isn't a very... angry person. He's very nice, I think."

"Can we share a bedroom?"

"Yeah?" I said, unsure why he asked. "They're not going to make you sleep on the couch."

"Good." he said. "At the Weasley's I wasn't allowed to share a room with Ginny until after we'd gotten engaged."

"You were like seventeen, then." I said. "They know we're both adults and we both do adult things... Does this mean you're okay for going?"

"Yeah." he said. "It sounds like a good escape."

"And it's on the beach." I said, thinking about how nice it would be to be on the beach. Warm air, a nice breeze, salt water, sand in between my toes.

"And the kids will be away until Monday." he said. "They're celebrating Ginny's birthday by a trip to France."

"So I've got you all to myself?"

"Yes you do."

"I'm glad." I admitted. And then I brought up what I had been thinking about the whole day. "I'm thinking about getting a tattoo."

"Oh." he said, looking a little surprised.

"Is that a bad idea?" I asked, afraid.

He shook his head. "It's just something you should think about for awhile, not something to jump right into."

"I know." I said. "And it would be in a place that can be easily covered by clothing- it would have to be for work."

"What would you get?"

"I'm thinking about a butterfly..." I said. "To remember."

He nodded. "Where?"

"Somewhere I can see it without too much contortion, but somewhere it's not always visible to me." His hand snaked up my side and pressed into my ribcage, tapping a spot. "There would be nice." he said.

"I think I will wait and make sure I still want it like you suggested, then I will get it."

We cuddled on the couch all afternoon, and I felt the deep sadness and ache return. I was frustrated with it all, and just kept my head buried deep in his chest, my eyes squeezed shut tightly as he hummed.

Eventually he had to go, to pick up Lily and give his kids dinner, but sent me a small bottle of his own calming draught- just in case.

Author's Note: So, I hope you guys like where it's going. I know not a ton happened in this chapter- but it's setting the stage for the big meeting between Harry and Sadie's father in the next chapter! I'm not going to give a number of reviews before the next chapter is up, because it's embarrassing when I don't achieve it, but if I'm impressed by the reviews, it'll go up earlier. Thank you to all that continue to review and favorite my story. It means so much to me and truly helps me to write more. Thanks :)


	22. Chapter 22

Author's Note at the end.

My day at the spa was lovely. I was wrong- it didn't give me hours to spend thinking and wallowing in grief. It was refreshing and made me feel nice. I bounced from spa room to room- getting a facial, massage, body wrap, pedicure, manicure, waxed, and a hair cut. I felt like a princess as I left, and was definitely starting to feel better. I would really have to thank Harry about this- I was so grateful he cared about me and wanted me to feel better. He was just so... great.

It was late by the time I got out of there. People were already out of work and on their ways home. The lights were coming on in the office buildings and it was a busy time in the city.

Once I got home, I started figuring out what I should pack. Even though it was only a night away, it required a bathing suit, three changes of clothes, pajamas, and possibly a dress, if we went out to dinner. Plus shoes and two towels, and whatever else I could think of.

"Brynne was questioning me like crazy about you." Cor said, coming in to sit on my bed while I packed.

"Why?" I asked. "It's not any of her business."

"I know." she answered. "I just told her you were run down and ill but you would be back on Monday."

"I'm a little sick of Brynne." I groaned. "Like, leave me alone. I took less than three days off- the first days I've taken off in ages, and I have a Healer's note."

"I'm just warning you that on Monday, she might be angry." she said.

"I don't want to go back to work." I admitted. "I'd rather just stay at the beach with Harry forever."

"His kids aren't there, though." she pointed out.

"I don't care." I said. "It's nice to have him all to myself."

And I did- until I went back to work on Monday. He came over with cake for us to eat for dinner and a bottle of wine, and we laid on the couch. "Thank you." I said. "I feel great."

"That makes me happy." he said. "I'm glad you're on the upswing."

I nodded. "I'm excited for tomorrow." I told him. "I just want to lay on the beach, put my toes in the sand and read a very trashy book."

"I didn't know you read trashy books." he said.

"Only at the beach." I chuckled.

He laughed, and rested his head on my shoulder. "Well, we can stop to get you one, then."

He left before I went to bed, because I didn't want to make Cor feel awkward by having him stay over. But he said he would be back at eight in the morning, all packed and ready to go. Which he was, as I sat at the table and drank my coffee. I finished it up, put the cup in the sink, and wrote a good bye note to Cor, who still was asleep.

"Are we going to Flourish and Botts to get a book?" he asked. I nodded, and put my backpack on my shoulders. I grabbed my money bag- filled mostly with Muggle money and enough wizarding money to get by. We went to the bookstore and I immediately went upstairs, looking for a book that looked mindless and fun to read. I eventually settled for one off the Staff Recommended table- something about being bewitched and betrothed or something. Harry refused to even come up to that section, and was busy flipping through a book about Quidditch.

I went up to pay for my book, and joined Harry. "All set?" he asked, looking at the bag I was holding.

"Yeah." I said, and we walked outside. "Here, I'll Side-Along you, because you don't know where you're going." I grabbed his arm, and focused on the little cottage on the beach. And with a crack and the passage of a minute, we were there.

I saw the cottage up the driveway and grinned. The air was warm and balmy, and the smell of sea salt filled my nose. I breathed in the warmth of the sun and air and felt immediately better than I had in a week. I held tighter to Harry's hand, and we walked towards the house. I could see my dad sitting at the back porch, with his cup of tea and crossword puzzle. I waved and he waved back, standing up.

We climbed the stairs to the deck, and I hugged him. "Nice to see you, ducky." he told me, kissing my cheek. He extended his hand to shake Harry's. "Peter Lewis." he said.

"Harry Potter." Harry said, shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too." he said. "I'm glad you two could join us for the day. Come in and I'll show you your room." He lead us in, and I took in the site of the familiar cottage. We'd been coming here since I was a small child, and it looked exactly the same. But it was a welcome wave of nostalgia. Dad led us up the narrow staircase and to one of the back bedrooms. It was the one that Elise and I had stayed in as children. It was in the back corner of the house- facing the ocean. I remembered loving this room as a child, as it had both a balcony and a fireplace- so we could be warm and have the balcony door open. "Well, I'll leave you two for a few minutes to settle in, yeah? Sadie, Mum's just run down to the store in the village to buy some food for lunch, she should be back anytime."

"All right. Thanks, Dad." I said, and he shut the door behind him. I leaned into Harry. "See, he likes you already."

He put his arm around me. "Yeah, yeah." he whispered. He went out to the balcony, and looked at the ocean. Tide was very high- but by the time we ate lunch and stuff we would be able to go out and go swimming. "This place is beautiful."

I nodded. "I love it here. I haven't spent enough time here, I mean, I came every year when I was younger, and even after I graduated from Hogwarts, but after I started dating Nick I stopped coming because he loathed the beach. And then I think the year after I broke up with him, and not since then. But it's so lovely here, I don't know why I don't come every year. Or even on my own vacation."

"Because you're a workaholic." he said. "That's why." He opened his ruck sack and put his stuff in a dresser drawer. He didn't have that much, so I put mine in next to his. It was really nice to see our clothing lined up next to each other, and I knew the scent of him would be on my clothing. That made me smile.

"Downstairs?" I asked, opening the door. He followed me down. Mum was in the kitchen, making sandwiches for us all. "Hello, Mum."

She turned around and gave me a hug. "You look much better than you did the other day." she said. "Hello Harry, it's nice to see you again."

"Thanks." he said. "It's great to be here. It's a very nice house."

"It is, isn't it?" she asked, but it wasn't really a question. "We've been coming here as long as I can remember, a bit of a family tradition. I''m just going to make chicken salad for lunch, I hope that's all right with everyone." 

"Sounds great." I said. "We're going to take walk down to the beach, we'll be back for lunch."

"All right." she said. "Have fun."

I grabbed his hand and we walked down to the beach. I took my flip flops off and placed them on the stone wall, then ran down to the water. We were down there for probably twenty minutes, our pants rolled so we could stand in the water. We were the only people on the beach, and it felt really nice. The sun was warm, the water was cold, and the sand was soft beneath my feet.

We went up to the house again, as I saw my mum on the porch with sandwiches. We sat down at the table, and ate the sandwiches, along with fresh, sweet lemonade. "So Harry," Dad said. "I heard you have your hands full of kids."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, a bit." he laughed. "I've got four- well, my godson lives with me most of the time. He's fifteen- then I've got three kids from my first marriage. Two sons and a daughter."

"Wow." Dad said, nodding appreciatively. "Must be crazy."

"It definitely has its days." he admitted. "But I really like them..."

"They're very sweet children." I told them.

I heard his pocket chirp- which I knew meant he just got a new message on his Twig. "Sorry, it's probably just work." he said, and ended the chirping.

"What do you do?" Dad asked him.

"I'm the Head Assistant to Head of law enforcement."

"That sounds like an important job."

Harry shrugged, being modest. "Not especially." he admitted. "Work's been pretty slow the past few years, which is kind of nice. Mostly just stupid stuff to enforce. Some people get kind of bored but I don't mind."

His pocket chirped again. "You can go answer it." I told him. "What if Lily's ill?"

"She's not." he said. "They're in France, they couldn't contact me."

My parents exchanged a glance and I was exasperated. Why wouldn't he just go double check? I was worried if it was Lily. "What if there's an emergency at work?"

"Sadie." he said, sighing. "I took the weekend off- I told them they weren't allowed to contact me."

"Do you work a lot?" Dad asked, trying to take the situation away from a tense place.

"Yeah." he said. "Well, normal hours- eight thirty to five, but there's always extra work to be done and meetings and I travel about once a month."

"Wow." Mum said. "That's a lot."

He nodded. "Yeah. I've really cut back though, I used to practically live in my office." The Twig chirped again. "I'm just going to see who's bothering me." We all nodded, since we'd finished eating, and he went inside.

Dad watched him shut the slider door, and turned to me. "Why did he get divorced?" he asked quietly.

"Peter." my mum hissed.

I shrugged. "He and his ex-wife grew apart- they had a problem trying to get pregnant with their daughter and it caused them to not like each other very much. So they got divorced about three years ago and she's already married and has another kid."

He chewed on his lip nodded. "That's unfortunate."

"And it was all really public because he's kind of famous from the war, and he holds a high position in the government, and his ex-wife was also a big part of the war and she's a pretty famous athlete."

"He's lived a hard life." Mum said.

"Yeah, he has." I agreed. "And his daughter- she's only three, she's ill- she get seizures, sometimes, so he always has to be available." I waited a few minutes, and decided that when he didn't come out I should go and check on him. I brought the plates in and found him on the couch, looking a little off. "What happened?"

He just shook his hand, and stood up. "I'm sorry, that was really rude of me to leave lunch."

"It's fine." I said, aggravated he wasn't telling me what was going on. "Now tell me what the hell is going on here."

"No." he said, standing up. "I don't want to ruin this weekend."

"Who were the messages from?" I asked, my patience was wearing thin. At least my parents got the hint and stayed outside. "And don't guilt me about ruining the weekend. I'll let my mind run and come up with far worse scenarios."

"Hermione." he said. I could see he was upset, and trying to shield me, but I didn't want that right now.

"What's wrong?" I asked, concern flooding in. "Is the baby okay? Do you need to go home?"

He shook his head. "Her assistant... whose boyfriend works for the printing bit of Witch Weekly told her assistant who told Hermione that next week they're running an expose about our relationship. Apparently they've been working on it for weeks but they took a picture of us together today that really...proved it."

I just blinked at him, a million thoughts flying into my head. "Fuck." was the first word that slipped out of my mouth. "What the hell are we going to do?" I didn't even know how I was supposed to process that- but my stomach hurt.

"I'm so sorry." he said. "Like, I know there's still people you need to tell and it fucking sucks to have people finding out your news from a piece of shite like Witch Weekly. Maybe there's still enough time to get Witch Weekly to shut up and not run it."

I just sat down on the couch and rested my head in my hands. I needed to tell Brynne- I should have told her weeks ago. She was going to be livid at me. And he hadn't told any of the Weasleys beside Ron and Ginny, so he had to deal with all of them. This was not right- I felt so violated and angry. "Can't you do something about it?" I pleaded. "I don't want my life available for people to read about for a handful of knuts!" 

"Do you think I do, really, Sadie?" he snapped.

"No." I said. I sighed.

"See, this is why I didn't want to tell you. It's ruined the weekend now."

"No it hasn't." I told him. "We can't let it ruin our weekend."

He looked unsure, but I leaned in and kissed him. "Please be right." he begged.

I nodded. "Okay." I said, nodding. "Okay."

Author's Note: So, finally, you guys got the confrontation between Sadie's dad and Harry! And the news is coming out about their relationship! So, that's good, I think? Let me know what you think. As always, thank you so much for the reviews. I really look forward to what you have to say! So, review away!


	23. Chapter 23

Author's Note at the end.

We spent the afternoon at the beach, just the two of us. My parents sensed we needed our space, and they were right. We took two beach chairs down, sat just at the waterline, and read our books. I let myself turn a little tan, and enjoyed the easy to read book. It told the story of Daphne, a beautiful witch in the nineteenth century who was given a love potion and fell in love with the wrong person.

While it was completely cheesy, I ate it all up. I enjoyed it. It provided me with enough distraction to keep my mind off the fact I was completely screwed. "What are you smiling about?" Harry asked.

"Nothing." I said, biting back the smile.

He knew better, and flung a little wet sand at my leg. I screamed, shocked as the cold and wetness of it hit my leg. "Oh, really?" he asked.

"Yeah." I said, and went back to reading my book. I kept watching him, though, as he turned the pages of the book his boys had bought him for his birthday. When I suspected he was absorbed enough, I flung wet sand at him and it hit him square in the chest. He looked completely shocked.

"You're in for it." he said, getting up. I shot out of my chair and ran into the ocean, hoping to get away from him. But he was much faster than I was and I didn't stand a chance. He tackled me down into the water, and I splashed him. That stunned him enough that I could get into deep water, just floating. I turned my head up and enjoyed the sun. He swam up next to me, and just laid there.

"I'm so glad we're here." I told him.

"Me too." he said quietly, grabbing my hand. "It was a rough week."

I murmured agreement. "I'm lucky I had you." I said. "I don't think I thanked you enough for all that you did for me. If I was alone, I... I'd still be in a bad place."

"Sadie." he said. "We have to be there for each other. That's... what a relationship is about. And we're going to go through a lot of shite, because of who I am. And if we're not there for each other... then it'll just end badly."

"I don't want that." I whispered. "I want this to be it." I was glad I could find the words to say this without it sounding too cheesy. I hoped. I looked at him, and watched him. His eyes were shut and a small smile played on his lips.

"Me too." he replied. After we laid there for a few more minutes, we went back to our chairs in the sand, going back to reading. "Would you ever consider moving in with me?" he asked.

To be honest, I was a little stunned. I had considered moving in with him last week when I was pregnant. "I..." I didn't even know how to put it to make it appreciative that he had asked but also say not yet. "Isn't it really soon?"

"Well, I'm not saying this week." he said. "Just soon..."

"I don't know." I told him. "To be honest. Like, obviously eventually. But how would your kids feel about it? That's a whole new, huge step. You would have to talk to them about it. And I know that Teddy won't be okay with it. And I'm not sure I'm ready to leave my apartment."

He nodded. "Okay."

"Thank you for asking." I said. "And eventually, yes. But I think I need to spend more time with your kids first. I want them to get to know me better and trust me and like me."

"Makes sense." he said. We baked out in the sun a little while longer, then went back to the house.

We went back to the house, getting changed and shaking off the sand from our bodies. I wasn't sure what we were going to do tonight. I wanted to go into the little village, just to visit the shops and mill around.

We just had steak outside with my parents. My parents were still trying to relax and settling in, and didn't want to go walk around the village. But we went, as the sun was starting to set. "What's in this town?" he asked.

"An ice cream shop, some little stores, shops, a park. Sometimes they have a band playing in the park." I said. We walked into it. The stores had just turned their lights on and it was nice looking. We walked into a jewelery store, just looking. I was turning one of the racks, when I saw the perfect ring. It was silver, with a butterfly pendant. The butterfly's wings were made from opals. Harry saw me admiring it.

"Do you like that?" he asked, plucking it off the rack. He took my right hand, and tested it out- first on my middle finger, where it was too small, and then on my ring finger, where it fit perfectly. "You're not supposed to give yourself opals."

"Yes." I answered. He pulled it off my hand, and brought it up to the counter and bought it. He spoiled me, really, but it felt so nice. I wanted to buy him something. He grabbed my arm and we walked outside. He put it on my hand. "Can I buy you something?"

We sat on the seawall, watching the very last of the sun dissapearing under the horizon. "No." he said. "I don't need anything."

"I didn't need the ring." I told him, but it felt right on my hand, and I wanted it.

"But I could see in your face how much you wanted it."

"I feel like all you do is spend money on me. And I want to spend money on you once in a while."

"You bought me my watch." he pointed out, holding it up. It looked lovely on his wrist.

"For your birthday." I put my hand on his leg and traced shapes into it.

"If I come across something that I need, and it makes sense, I'll let you buy it for me if it will make you that happy."

"Thank you." I said, kissing him. We walked through the village, and stopped in a liquor store. He picked out a bottle of wine, and we stopped to get some ice cream. Strawberry ice cream for him, and chocolate for me. And then we walked in the direction of the cottage. We didn't talk much, we didn't really need to. Worry began to creep into me about the expose, but I tried really hard to suppress it. It was very hard, though.

When we got back, my parents were on the deck, drinking wine. The sound of the waves was a nice crackle in the background. "Would you like to play cards, Harry?"

"Sure." he said. They sat down to play and I followed my Mum into the kitchen, where I helped her wash up.

"Is everything okay?" she asked. "From earlier?"

Oh- the messages from Hermione. I sighed. "I guess." I said. "It's complicated... basically, some people are going to find out about our relationship in a way that isn't very conventional and it's just stressing him out. We'll be fine."

"All right." she said. She was quiet a little longer as we finished up. "I like him." she declared. "I like the both of you together. You work well together. I mean, it's not conventional- I wish you'd met ten years ago and could've had your straight shot at a life and a family together but you didn't. You can tell that you've been through a lot already in your short time together, especially this week. That man loves you, Sadie."

I looked out the window, to see him playing cards with my father, and smiled. "I know." I said. "I'm very lucky." I brought the wine out and joined them. My parents went to bed earlier than us, but we moved into our bedroom. It had cooled down a lot, a chilly breeze coming off the water, and he lit a fire. But I opened the door to the balcony so it wouldn't get too warm. We laid in bed together, finishing our wine, so secure like this.

"Thank you for making this plan." he said. "I think this is exactly what we both needed."

"I'm glad we came." We didn't talk much, though, because we just didn't need to. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was a comfortable, wonderful silence, and I drifted off to sleep to the sounds of waves crashing against the beach and a crackling fire.

I woke up in the morning, feeling peaceful and happy. He wasn't in bed with me, and I wondered where he'd gone. I sat up, and enjoyed the warm light coming through the open windows and the scent of salt. I laid there, feeling no motivation to get up, and basked in the sunlight.

It wasn't long before he was back in the room, a tray in his hands. The tray was layered with all sorts of delicious looking and smelling food. "Good morning." he said, leaning down to kiss me. He handed me the tray and got back in bed with me.

"Morning." I said. The clock read just after nine. "What've you been up to?"

"I've been up for awhile." he said. "Went for a walk into town with your father to get eggs so your mum could make breakfast, and she put together this tray for us."

"A walk with my father?" I asked, sitting up.

"Yeah." he said, chewing a piece of sausage. "It was a good conversation."

"Well?"I asked, prodding him.

"He said he never would have picked me for you, because I'm not what he ever thought you'd end up with."

"And that lead to a good conversation?" I asked, so confused.

"But then he said he's glad he's not in charge of picking who you date, and that you chose me, because it's obvious I take care of you really well and we work really well together. And he asked me what my intentions were."

I laughed, and rested my head on him. "I'm sorry."

"I said that we were just going to take everything as it comes." he said. "But that it's serious, and I've asked you to move in with me and you gave me some reasons for declining for now and that's one of the things that I love about you, that you're so rational, and then I told him that we were just going to go at whatever pace we are comfortable at, but I had no reason to believe we wouldn't be married in a few years time."

I nodded. "He was happy with that?"

"He seemed pleased." he said. "And he said that he thought you were sort of done after Nicholas, that you were too busy to go find someone to make you happy."

"I didn't have to." I said. "You came right to me." I kissed him, the sweet taste of maple syrup still on his lips. It was a little tacky, and I kind of regretted saying it. But he gave me a warm smile, and happiness coursed through my veins.

We finished up breakfast, and lounged in bed awhile longer. "What's the plan for today?" he asked.

"Well, we've got to stay at least long enough so I can finish my book." I told him, holding up the hundred or so more pages I needed to read. "Are you ready to go home?"

"No." he said, but didn't sound very sure. "I just told Teddy that as soon as I got home he could come back... and I was just wondering when that would be."

"So I can't stay over tonight?" I asked.

"You can." he answered. "It's just that he'll be there too."

I thought about it. I didn't really want to be there if Teddy was there. I didn't want to freak him out. "I don't know." I said.

"Well, I'd like you there. And don't worry about it being weird or anything. It could be a good test run for future nights."

"I think I'll be a lot more comfortable staying over after Teddy and Jay go to school, to be honest." I told him. "Al and Lily, I can handle."

"Yeah, of course." he said. "But you'll have to learn to be around all of them, though. Hopefully by the time they return from school you'll be living with me."

I nodded. I needed to get some books on this- on blending families. He took a shower, and I got dressed. I brought the empty tray downstairs. My parents sat on the deck. "Good morning." I said, bringing my book and sitting with them outside.

"He's a good man." Dad said, nodding upwards toward the second floor. "I like him."

"I'm glad, Dad." I told him, my heart warmed at his approval. "That makes me really happy."

Overall, it felt like a successful trip. I had relaxed, rested, swam, put my toes in the sand, and been loved on by the sweet man that I was completely enamored with. Perfection. We sat on the beach for a little while. We weren't going swimming, but just reading in the warm sun. I had even gotten a little tan in the last day. After lunch, we decided to call it a successful trip and pack up.

"I'm so happy you could join us." Mum whispered, as we said goodbye. "You needed a little time away."

"I did." I admitted, hugging her tightly. "Thank you."

I kissed Dad's cheek, and backed away. "It was nice to meet you, Harry." Dad said, shaking his hand. "I hope we'll be seeing a lot more of you in the future."

"Me too." he said. Then we walked down the porch to disapparate.

I laid down when we got to his house. I had a bit of a headache that was probably from a little dehydration and the bright light at the beach. I stayed in his bed. I wished I could sleep in his bed every night. The sheets were worn, which made them softer, and they felt smooth against my skin. And the pillows smelled like him, especially when I buried my face into them.

I knew he went and brought Teddy back, and was a little apprehensive to go downstairs. I could hear the piano going, the beautiful sounds filling up the whole house and not helping me be awake. I was easily lulled to sleep by the sound. I wished I could play an instrument.

I laid in bed as long as I could, until Harry came in. "How are you?" he asked.

"Fine." I said. "How are you?" 

"Well. Ready to go back to work tomorrow?"

I glared at him. I was not looking forward to listening to Brynne. "You know the answer to that."

"Yeah." he said. "But we've got a few more hours. So come on, why don't you come downstairs? I'm going to order a pizza."

I got up and grabbed his hand, following him.

Author's Note: Wow- thanks for all the reviews! Getting seven reviews is really where I like it- when I get more than that I get a little overwhelmed but getting less than that makes me really sad. So thanks guys. I've gotten a couple of awesome sub plot bunnies the past few days. So the next few chapters are not very action filled, but I promise, there's some (really) good stuff coming up! So thanks for continuing to review and read and support the story. It means so much!


	24. Chapter 24

Teddy sat at the piano, playing it. He was so absorbed into it, he didn't notice us coming into the living room and sitting on the couch. We watched him play for fifteen minutes, probably, before he ended it. One last deep note echoing through the house. He turned around, and covered the piano.

"You're very skilled." I told him.

"Thank you." he said. He went upstairs to his room.

"I feel like I should just lock you two in a room some time and force you to talk." Harry said, getting up. He poured us wine, and I promised myself I'd only drink one glass. I had to work in the morning.

"Actually probably wouldn't be a bad idea." I said. "I need to get to know your children."

He nodded. "That would be nice."

We sat in a little bit of silence again, but we were both thinking. "Does Teddy have friends?" I asked, very quietly.

"Yeah." Harry said. "Why?"

"Has he seen them?" I asked. "Because it always seems like he's here."

"Uhm, he spent a night at his friend Whit's house right after he got home." he said.

"He hasn't invited them over here?" I asked.

"Not really..." he said.

"You don't think that's weird?" I wondered.

He was quiet. "Now that you mention it, I think it's a little weird..." he said. "Maybe I'll suggest he has them over before school starts. They could camp in the backyard or something like that."

"That's a good idea." I said. "You should do that. Because they're only here for a few more weeks."

"Two." he said, pressing his lips into my hair. "Ugh, I'm not ready for them to go back. I feel like they just got here."

"I don't know how you let them go for ten months a year." I admitted.

"I know they have fun, they're safe, and they're learning." he said. "And Nev's there. But I miss them something awful. I have no idea how I'll do it when it's just me and Lils next year. That'll be awful."

I nodded. I couldn't imagine ever being without my child that long, if I had one. It was just a crazy idea. "I'm tired." I sighed.

"Are you staying over?"

"I don't want to wake you up at five thirty." I said. "That's cruel. So I think I'll go home. But I'll come over after work."

"Fine." he said. "I guess you're going to leave me."

"Believe me." I said, standing up and stretching. You'll be happy at five thirty when you're still sound asleep and I'm fumbling around trying to get my stuff together. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thanks for this weekend." he said, hugging me. "I'm glad we did it."

"Thanks for the ring." I said. "And for coming with me."

'Anytime." he said. I went upstairs, grabbed my stuff, and got ready to leave.

"Bye, Teddy!" I yelled down the hall to him. I heard a response that was vaguely saying goodbye, and apparated to Diagon Alley. I made my way to my apartment building. The road was mostly empty as it was late on a Sunday night. I walked up the alley to get to my apartment, and there were a few people standing in front of the door. I thought it was a bit strange, until someone lifted a camera and the flash went off.

I jumped, not expecting that, and drew my wand. "Miss Lewis?" one of them asked. "Would you care to talk to us about your relationship with Harry Potter?"

I froze. Shite, I thought. They knew where I lived? A feeling of unease came over me. "No thanks." I said, turning away from them. "I'd actually just like to get into my flat, if you blokes wouldn't mind moving."

"Just a couple of sentences." Another one begged. "Or a better photo, perhaps?"

"Please, just move." I said. I just wanted to get into my flat and go to bed and get away from these people. "I have to work early in the morning."

"Will you be willing to speak with us then?"

"Get out of my bloody way." I said, and forced my way into the door, locking it and going upstairs.

"Well, look who it is." Cor said, as I came in. I was furious at the photographers and was trying really hard not to take it out on Cor. "What's wrong?"

"I just had to fight with photographers to get into the building." I said. "Witch Weekly is publishing an expose on Friday about me and Harry."

"Holy shite." she said, sitting up. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know." I said, groaning.

"So you have to tell Brynne before she reads it there."

"I don't even want to think about her." I said. "So, if you can Floo places, do it for now. There's a few of them down there and they're not looking very safe. Don't go near them."

"Aye, aye." she laughed. "I'm sorry. I know it's upsetting to you. It's a little humerous to me."

I nodded. "I know. Ugh, you're right, I do have to deal with Brynne." I slumped into the couch. "Definitely not looking forward to doing that. She's going to kill me."

"She doesn't really have reason to kill you." Cor said. "It's not like you started making out with him in the middle of fixing his child, you told him you couldn't accept a date while you were working and accepted it later, and haven't touched his kids since. Just explain that all to her and you should be fine."

I nodded. I went to bed early, getting ready for a long day. When Cor and I made our way into work the next morning, Brynne was there, waiting for me. "Someone got some color last weekend." she said, taking in that I was, in fact, tanner than I had been when I left last week.

"My parents rented a cottage last weekend." I said. "And they invited me Saturday night."

"During your lunch break, we have to talk." she sniped, then walked away. I was nervous as to what that talk would entail, but tried to focus on work. I worked with two babies who had come down with various illnesses, but dreaded the coming lunch break. Brynne was waiting for me as I punched out for lunch. I followed her wordlessly into the break room. No one else was in there, and she shut the door. "What was wrong with you?"

"I was ill." I said. "I don't have to tell you exactly what was wrong with me, Brynne. I was too ill to come to work, and I have the notes to prove it. If you disagree with that, you can talk to my Healer."

"I just question your dedication after you missing work like that. I was expecting them to give you some Pepper-Up potion and have you out doing rounds again in an hour."

"Well, I was sick." I said. "I don't know what you want me to say."

"That won't do when you're a Head." she told me. Her lips were pursed and very tight. "Just know that."

"I don't plan on doing it again."

"Good." she said. I thought about telling her about Harry now. It would be a good opportunity- we were already alone. "Anyways, I'm glad we had this conversation. Enjoy your lunch."

She got up and left the room, leaving me alone in the break room. It really needed some updating, with the wood paneling and dark furniture. It was truly a dark room. I did the rest of my shift, bloody exhausted and ready to go home. Actually, I would probably go see Harry after work, to tell him about the photographers and I needed a hug.

"I've got to stay fifteen more minutes to discharge this kid." Cor said, as I punched out.

"I'll wait for you." I said, and sat in the break room, waiting. I hoped she would be quick. I thought it was best we travel together if possible until creepy photographers stopped hanging around our flat.

"Lewis." Brynne called, sticking her head into the break room. "Get your arse out here and punch back in, your favorite high profile client is here."

My blood turned into ice- Harry was here? Who was ill? Was it Lily, again, with a seizure? Hopefully it was a broken bone or something I could fix. "Which kid?" I asked, the words coming out weird as my chest seized up.

"The little girl." she said. "Seizing."

I felt nausea run through me, and ran to the door- then remembered. "Brynne, I can't do it." I told her.

"What the hell do you mean, you can't do it?" she asked. "Punch yourself in and get over there."

"I can't do it because I'm dating her father." I hissed.

Brynne turned on me, her eyes pissed. I could tell this wasn't going to end well. "Fine." she said, and walked away. I ran to the room, to find Lily on the bed seizing. Harry was sitting next to her, tears down his face.

"Sadie, thank god." he said, getting up and hugging me. He tried to kiss me, but I pushed him away.

"I'm not allowed to kiss patients while I'm in uniform." I said. "Sorry."

"Are you going to fix her?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I can't- they should have someone in here already." Brynne appeared a moment later, gloved up. She quickly examined Lily, without so much as introducing herself, and shoved a potion down her throat.

"That should do it." Brynne said, and shook Harry's hand.

"Sadie, I need to talk to you outside." she said. She didn't even look at me, but I could feel the anger radiating off of her. Lily never stopped seizing. "How long has she been like this?"

"Fifteen minutes." Harry said, nervously. "Oh, God..." he whimpered. He picked up Lily's hand. "C'mon, love, pull through this..." I felt so nervous and bad- I wished I could do more.

Brynne turned and left, going to get another potion, I assumed. She hadn't given her anything super strong yet. "It'll be alright." I said. 'Brynne's a better Healer than I am."

"That's Brynne?" he asked. "She's a bitch."

"I just told her we're going out." I said. "That's why."

He held on to Lily tighter. "What if she doesn't pull out?" he asked. "I sent a message to Ginny but she didn't respond- I don't know what to do. What if I have to make a descision? What will I do?"

"Shh..." I said. "She's slowing down, I think she's coming out of it."

Brynne returned, and gave her the potion anyways. Her body stilled, and she went to sleep. Harry pulled her into his arms and wiped his tears. "Oh, thank god..." he muttered.

"Outside." Brynne barked.

I followed her into the hall way. "Yes?"

"Go home and change." she said. "I don't want you wearing hospital robes while you're with him. And we are having a discussion about this tomorrow. I'm very disappointed in you."

"Whatever, Brynne." I told her. "I've done nothing wrong, and I'll be happy to outline that to you tomorrow."

"I don't care how late you're here with him, I want you here at seven."

"Fine by me."

She walked away. I used the employee fireplace to go home, where Cor was in the shower. She must have known what was going on. I quickly changed into sweat pants and a big shirt, getting comfy for the night. I then made my way back, ten minutes probably elapsing.

I found him still in the bed, holding her tight. He still had tears in his eyes. When I came in the room, he was in my arms in an instant. It felt weird, for one, being the one to pull him close. I felt like I was too small, even though I was not petite. I ran my fingers through his hair, and pulled his head down. "She's all right." I murmured. "She's gonna be just fine."

"It was so scary." he said. "You don't even know, that was the worst seizure yet. I didn't think she'd pull out of it. I thought, I thought I'd be stuck here alone, making really hard descisions about her life and it would be all my fault."

I just held him. He didn't cry for long. He wasn't a crying type of person, then he wiped his eyes on his sleeve. His head rested on my shoulder. "Sorry, Sadie." he said. I handed him a handkerchief, and rubbed his back. We sat in the recliner for him to sleep on, but he'd expanded it. "How much trouble are you in?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Cor's gone over it- and I've done nothing wrong. They discourage relationships with patients, but they can't actually do anything about it. They cannot prohibit me from actually dating you."

"Good." he said. "I'd hate to get you in trouble."

I shrugged. "There were photographers outside my flat when I got home yesterday."

"No." he groaned. "Ugh, I'm so sorry. I'll put up wards to keep anyone carrying a camera out of your way. I'm sorry."

"Cor found it kind of amusing." I said. I drew circles on his chest with my finger tips.

"Is Lily going to be all right?" he murmured. His eyes were unfocused, and far away. I knew he wasn't thinking about right here.

"Of course." I told him. "I promise."

"I'm taking her to a Muggle doctor as soon as I can." he declared. "Enough is enough. It's fine while she's here and with us and we can help her, but what happens when she has to go to the real world and we can't protect her. I'm not letting her keep getting sicker and sicker because Ginny doesn't want to deal with some Muggles."

"Mmhm." I agreed. "I think that's a good idea."

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for all the great reviews :) They make me so happy. Though, shadowy lady, I wished you had left somewhere I could reply to you. You were my first official flame. I wish I could get specific places where Sadie seems fake and awkward and boring. I'm being completely serious- I'm curious. Anyways, thanks so much for the support, you lovely readers :) I'm trying to do as much writing as possible this week, because I go back to school next week! Review, follow, favorite! Thanks!


	25. Chapter 25

"Do you want to sleep?" he asked, noticing my eyes were closed. "Oh, you're probably exhausted. You can go home, I'm fine here."

"I'm fine." I said, opening my eyes.

"How long have you been here?" he asked.

"Fifteen hours."

"Please go home." he said.

"Do you not want me here?" I asked. He shook his head. "You were there when my Dad was in the hospital, all day. I'm here for you. Or would you rather I was at home with the boys? Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, they're fine. Ted's in charge. They're good." I looked at him. He looked a little older. He was exhausted, it was obvious. He had bags under his eyes, with his forehead creased in worry and his hair might have even been a little more gray.

I drifted in and out of sleep for the next few hours. I needed every precious moment of sleep I could get, but I wanted him to know I was here for him. When I woke up, I'd always find him awake, staring at Lily. He questioned about why she was still asleep, when she would be awake. He was nervous. "What can I do for you?" I asked, around three in the morning. "How can I make you feel better?"

"I want her to wake up so I can see that she's all right." he said. "That's what I really want."

I couldn't do that. "Please, just rest for a few minutes. I promise she'll wake up soon. Her body has been through a lot, and she's heavily sedated. She'll be up by morning." 

He rested his head against mine, finally, and I was pretty sure he dozed off. His breathing slowed, at least. I was exhausted, almost too tired to sleep. We were smushed up against each other in the small chair, his elbow was digging into my stomach. I tried to sleep, but mostly stayed in a half awake state.

I was so tired, I knew I'd be taking some potions to restore some energy before I went on shift, four hours later. This was probably my least favorite time in a hospital- the time between night and morning.

The door opened, and Ginny came in. It was almost five o'clock in the morning. She didn't look very tired. She looked at me. "Hello." I said, standing up and untangling myself from Harry.

"Hi." she said. She had Margot in her carrier, and she was fast asleep. I nudged Harry, trying to wake him up. He didn't look like he was moving. "How's Lily?"

I looked down at her. She was fast asleep. "She'll be okay." I said. "But it was scary."

"Did you take care of her?" she asked. She walked over to Lily, and stroked her head.

"No. I'm not allowed to work on people I know well." I said. "But my superior helped her. She should be able to go home sometime tomorrow."

She looked very worried. Here, in the middle of the night, worried about her daughter, I wasn't so afraid of her. I was still trying to wake him up, but he was really deeply asleep. I pinched his arm, and his eyes flew open. He pushed his glasses up his nose and sat up. "Hello Ginny." he said. He rubbed sleep from his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Hey." she said. "How long was the episode?"

"I'm not completely sure. A really long time." he said. "Longer than ever before."

She just nodded. "She's okay, though."

"Thankfully." he said. "I'm taking her to the Muggle doctor as soon as I can. She can't keep getting them. What's going to happen when she goes off to Hogwarts? She can't be sick like this there. You don't have to be involved. Sadie and I can take her."

She just nodded. I could tell she wasn't really here, just looking and thinking about Lily. "Do you want me to go get you two coffee or tea?" I asked. It was five o'clock, they would have coffee upstairs.

"Thank you." Harry said. "You know what I want."

I looked to Ginny, but she just shook her head. I knew they might need a few minutes to talk about things, so I left and took the lift. I stopped in the bathroom. I wouldn't have time to go home and shower and change, so I did a few spells to freshen up and clean my hair. I would need to stop in the apothecary and buy some energy replenishing potion. I did that first, then got coffee. The hospital was still very empty, as most people had gone home, and hadn't yet returned.

I came back into the room, and found them nearly where I'd left them. I looked out the window- light was starting to come up.

"Do you need to go home and shower?" Harry asked me.

I shook my head. "I'll go home at six thirty to change." I said. "Unless you'd like me to leave." I didn't sense that though. I guessed he was just wondering. "Would you like me to go check on the boys?"

"They'll be asleep until ten or eleven." he said. "And they know how to feed themselves."

I nodded. I didn't really have anything else to say. Lily should have been starting to wake up. The room was crowded with all three of us, and I felt a little uneasy. I counted down the minutes until six thirty. "I should go." I said, standing up and stretching. My body was sore from the sleeping position.

"Thank you." he said. "I'll walk you out."

"It's okay." I told him. "I don't want to attract any attention. Brynne's probably already around here somewhere, waiting for me."

He nodded, and leaned in to kiss me. I felt totally awkward doing this in front of Ginny. "If you want me to talk to her, I'm willing..."

"It won't come to that, thanks." I said. "I'll see you later."

I said goodbye to Ginny and went home. Cor was in the kitchen, and I could smell coffee. I poured myself a mug full. "How is everyone?" she asked.

I shrugged, and pulled out the bottle of potion that would give me a little more energy. It was bitter and sharp as it slid down my throat. "Lily will be fine." I said.

"Are you working today?"

"Yeah." I groaned. "I am. And Brynne's going to be pissed. I told her I couldn't take care of Lily last night because I'm dating Harry. I've never seen her so angry."

"If she's still angry at you after you've explained yourself then she's more of a bitch than we thought she was." she said. "She's only in charge of you for what- ten more days? Just let her be angry and move on."

"I'm afraid she might say something to Browning and get my promotion taken away." I admitted. I grabbed my navy blue Healer's robes and threw them on.

"They won't do that." Cor said. "That's crazy. You're too good of a Healer. And you've done nothing wrong."

I took a deep breath and nodded. I knew she was right, but I couldn't help to worry. "Ginny didn't even try to intimidate me when she showed up tonight."

"Wow." she said. "Impressive. You must have scared her or something."

I laughed, and we apparated into work. As we got into the ward, I saw Brynne waiting for me. I couldn't read her face, which made my stomach uneasy in fear. Inside, I wanted to run, but I walked up to her. She nodded as I stoof in front of her. I couldn't meet her brown eyes, and she turned and lead me to the break room. Since the shifts were changing, a few people were collecting their stuff and making their way out. When everyone had left, she shut the door.

"So, you're dating Harry Potter." she said, words slow and certain.

I nodded. "Yes."

"Which would be why he asked for you by name last time he was in." she said.

Dread filled me. She thought that he had asked for me because he was my boyfriend, and the only reason that I was getting the promotion was him. Great. "No." I said. "I wasn't. I only met him the first time he came in."

"Give me a timeline." she said.

I was glad she was remaining calm, but I knew her patience wasn't going to last. "Well." I said. "The first time he came in was the first time we met. We got talking a little while his son was here and found out we had mutual friends. Then, when he came back for his daughter the first time, we got talking more. He asked me if I would consider going out for coffee with him and I told him I wasn't allowed to accept a date while I was working. The next day he sent me a letter and asked if I would go for coffee. I accepted, and we've been going out since."

She was thinking, I could see. "So technically you haven't done anything wrong."

"No, I haven't." I said. "I know it's discouraged, but that's why I didn't take care of his daughter yesterday."

"Why hasn't Witch Weekly picked up on this yet?" she asked.

"They have. There'll be an expose in Friday's copy."

She nodded, and sighed. "You've done nothing wrong." she repeated. I nodded. "So no action can be taken against you. You're not going to lose your promotion. I won't talk to Browning."

I felt a wave of relief pass through my and my hands stopped shaking. "Thank you, Brynne."I said. "Thank you so much."

"I hope at least you're happy." she told me.

I nodded vigorously. "Very happy."

She nodded. "And probably exhausted and- did I see his ex-wife in there?"

"Yeah. On both accounts."

"That must have been a fun night." she said.

I sighed, and stretched out my arms. "It was fine." I shrugged.

She was quiet for a moment, then just shook her head. "I can't believe you're dating Harry Potter."

I chuckled. "Yeah." I admitted. "It's weird. He's a really amazing person, though, and it doesn't feel like he's some famous person when we're together. He's just... just a person."

She smiled a small smile. "I can see you're exhausted. You can go at noon time, but you're in a meeting today with your trainer for becoming a Head. You've been assigned to the other side of the ward- with the infants and children under five for your time as a Head."

I nodded and was happy about that- it was what I had specialized in. And I liked the smaller children, they were easier to fix once you found out what was wrong. "Thanks, Brynne." I said.

She just nodded. "You can have a fifteen minute break before your trainer- Keith Kilmory, will meet you at the Healer Station."

I thanked her again and made my way to Lily's room. I snuck in when I was sure no other Healers were watching. They were in a room that was off to a side, though, so it wasn't hard. Lily was awake now, sitting up. I could see they'd brought her breakfast, and she was eating part of an orange. She waved to me as I came in. "Hi, Sadie." she said, even though she still looked tired.

"Hi, Lily." I said, and grabbed her hand. She squeezed it. Ginny wasn't in the room, just Harry, who was staring at me from his seat.

"How'd it go?" Harry asked, quietly.

"As well as I could hope." I said. "Nothing's changing."

He nodded, understanding what I meant. "You look exhausted."

I shrugged. "Well, I'm getting out at noon."

"Do you have any idea when we'll be out of here?" he asked.

I picked up Lily's chart at the end of her bed, and flipped through it. It had lots of notes on it, Brynne had already been in here, and scribbled a ton of notes. "Probably early afternoon. There's still some tests to be done." I said.

He nodded. "All right."

"So if you want me to go check on the boys when I get out I can do that for you." I said.

"We'll see where I am when you get out." he said. "I'm not sure what Ginny's plans are- she just went to feed Margot and get some breakfast. But if it looks like we'll be awhile I will probably just go home and take a quick shower and check on them."

I nodded. "Have you had breakfast? Do you want me to go track something down for you?"

"She'll bring me back something."

I looked at my watch, making sure I wasn't late. "I'll be in a meeting with my trainer for the rest of the morning." I said.

"That's exciting." he said, trying to smile.

"Yeah, it is." I agreed. "Are you going home to shower?"

"No." he said, his face flashing slight anger before settling. "Ginny's got to run for a practice, so I'll be here."

I felt too tired to talk to them any more. Lily was finishing up her fruit, and Harry looked just as tired as I was. A few minutes before break was over, I stood up. "I'll see you later."

"Please don't leave, Sadie." Lily said, her lower lip starting to poke out.

"I'm sorry, Lily." I grabbed her hand again. "I've got to go to work."

"Can't you stay with me and Papa like last time?" she asked.

"I wish I could..." I looked to Harry for some help, as I was about to be later. "I'll be back in a few hours."

"Sadie will come visit you later, Lils." he said, looking like he might fall asleep. "But she has to go to a meeting for her job right now, okay? She will come back to see you later."

She seperated her hand from mine, and I walked out the door.

There was a man waiting for me at the Healer's station, and I was afraid I was late. I checked my watch, and I was on time. "Hello." I said, walking up to the man. He looked familiar and I remembered why- he had helped train Cor and I two years ago when we all had to do a refresher course. She had fancied him so badly then. He was attractive- with longer, golden-red hair, a lovely Scottish accent, and a warm smile.

"Hi." he said. "I'm Keith- I've trained you before, I believe."

"Sadie." I nodded. "And, yes, you have."

"Well, congratulations on the promotion, Sadie. I'll be training you for the rest of the week, shadowing you as you work next week, and then the next week you'll be doing it all by yourself."

"Okay." I said. He lead me to the other half of the ward, where the younger children were. When they were short on people I worked over here. Lily should have been on this side of the wall, but they found the most private room they could for her.

We spent a few hours going over stuff- schedules and patient charts and rounds and all sorts of stuff. I took notes on parchment, so I could study them better later when I was awake. We ended up in a meeting room, just talking about life and stuff. He had an interesting story.

He told me about his wife, who he'd married a month after they got out of Hogwarts. But, because she had been a Muggleborn, and had been unable to cover it up or hide well enough, she was killed. I felt sad for him, because he seemed really nice.

"But... the war was almost fifteen years ago." I said. "And you still haven't dated anyone?"

"I've dated." he shrugged, adding more sugar to his tea. "Just... not impressed by much. I dated Brynne Marquee for awhile back when we were in training together... that was a mess..."

I laughed pretty hard. Brynne made it obvious that she never talked about her personal life. Now I saw why. "That's going to keep me smiling all day." I told him.

"I'm glad." he said. "Speaking of her, I think I should get you back to her. She still scares me a bit."

"Don't worry, me too." I followed him.

"I heard Harry Potter's here somewhere- though I haven't seen him." he told me as we walked back. I wouldn't tell him, because it wasn't entirely professional.

"Yeah." I said.

"And I heard Ginny was here this morning- I'd kill to meet her. I'm such a fan."

"Mmhm." I agreed. He told me some funny stories about Brynne as we walked over.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow." he said. "Same times and stuff."

I nodded, and Cor looked up. She grinned at me, and I walked towards her. "Hello." I said.

"Hi." she said. "You're off duty, right?"

I nodded. "As soon as I punch out."

"You're so lucky he's your trainer." she told me. "That man is so attractive."

"He's nice." I said. "Anyways. I'm clocking out- but I'm sure I'll be around."

She nodded. I quickly ran home to put on regular clothing. I came back, and Harry was asleep in the chair. Lily was doing some coloring. "Shh..." she said, putting a finger to her lip. I dragged a chair to right next to her bed, and sat in it. "Hi Sadie."

"How are you feeling?" I asked, quietly.

"Okay." she said. "My legs and arms hurt a little, though."

"Next time your Healer comes in I will tell her." I said. "How long has he been asleep?"

She shrugged. "A little while."

I nodded. I picked up her chart and read it- they wanted to do some more tests on her brain before she could leave. Harry opened his eyes, and sat up. "Sorry, I'm just tired. How long have you been here?"

"Just a few minutes." I told him. "What have the Healers said?"

"So far, everything's good." he said. "We're just waiting on one more test, I believe, and then we can go home."

I nodded. "Yeah, that's what it looks like. They need a special potion for that, and they don't keep it in stock. So they're probably just working on that."

"Yeah. Brynne's been in and out and said we should be home by two."

I looked at the clock and guessed that was about right. "Do you want me to go check on the boys?"

"That would be great." he said. "You don't mind?"

"Nope. I want to help."

"That... it would be awesome." he looked so tired and weak. "And... if you wouldn't mind tidying up? I know it's not really your job but-"

"Of course." I said. "I'll see you in a few hours. I've got my Twig."

He gave me a hug and then I hugged Lily. "See you later, Sadie." she said.

Author's Note: Long chapter to make up for the boringness of it all. More happens in the next chapter, I promise! Sorry it took so long for me to update- I was waiting for another comment and one wasn't coming. I got flamed again- and it was really mean. Thank you to RoxanneAtetheCookies, as she actually explained stuff, instead of just laying on to me what she didn't like about the story. So, thank you, and I'm working on it. Other people that are flaming, if you've read all 24 chapters, you've read the equivilent to 320+ pages in a novel. Usually, by that point, I stop reading if the book isn't good. Anyways, thank you for the support, and another update will be coming your way soon. -Regular readers Selesteant and bolondteri- are you out there?


	26. Chapter 26

I used the apparition point to get to his house, and walked up the driveway. I could hear loud music coming from the living room, it sounded like The Weird Sisters. I knocked on the door, really loudly. After no response, I crawled through a bush and got to the open window. Al sat on the couch, a book in his hand. "Al!" I shouted.

He jumped up, looking for the sound of my voice. He finally found it. "Sadie!" he said, running towards me. "What are you doing outside?"

"The door's locked and I can't get in." I told him, laughing. He got it, and ran toward the door. I went inside, and put down my stuff.

"How's Lily?" he asked.

"She's doing okay." I said. "Where's Jay and Teddy?"

"Outside flying." he said. He led me outside, and they were in the back field, darting back and forth towards the ball. When they saw me coming, they both got to the ground. Jay started running towards me.

"Is Lily okay?" he asked.

"She's going to be fine." I told him. Teddy reached me before Jay.

"When will she be home?" He asked, looking really concerned.

"Hopefully, in about an hour and a half. They're just waiting for one more test." I said. "Have you guys eaten lunch?"

They all shook their heads.

"Have you guys eaten breakfast?"

"Chocolate frogs..." Al said. "And some Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans."

"I had a scrambled egg flavored one, that's breakfast, right?" Jay asked.

I grinned and laughed. "I'm not quite sure your father would consider that much of a breakfast." I told them. "Why don't we go inside and get you something to eat?"

They followed me in. The Weird Sisters were still blaring away, and I lowered the volume. "Really, Al?" I asked. "The Weird Sisters?"

He shrugged, and smiled. "Just their old stuff. Their new stuff's all weird." he said. "These records belonged to Papa when he was younger."

"Did they now?" I asked. "Teddy, will you help me make lunch?"

He nodded and came into the kitchen. "What are you making?"

"I don't know what you've got in the house. What do you usually do for lunch?" I asked.

"Usually there are enough left overs from dinner to heat up." he told me. "But last night none of the left overs got put away because Lily had her seizure."

"Oh."

"There's... I don't know, actually. I think Harry should have gone grocery shopping a few days ago." he mumbled. I opened the pantry, and he was right. There were a few boxes of pasta and some canned veggies. I looked through the veggies and found some tomato sauce.

"Pasta and sauce okay?" I asked.

He shrugged. I was getting bad vibes off of him.

"Can you set some water to boil?"

"Fine."

I sighed. I felt like we were in a bad spot. "Teddy, what exactly is it that you don't like about me?" I asked. I think the deliriousness that came with being exhausted made me ask. "I just want to know."

He was quiet, and I thought he might bolt. But he didn't. "He doesn't need you." he said. "He was fine before he had you."

"But he's happy now."

"He wasn't unhappy before." he pointed out.

"I'm not going to steal him from you guys." I told him. "If that's what you're worried about."

"I don't want to talk about it." he said.

"I just... I don't want you to dislike me." I admitted. He sighed, but didn't say anything. I wouldn't push him anymore today.

When the food was ready, I served it to them, then did a few things to tidy up, and set the dishes to wash in the sink. There was a knock on the door, and Teddy went to get it. I heard him talking to a woman, and went into the hall. Molly stood there.

My stomach dropped a little. I wasn't prepared to meet her. I knew she might judge me. My hair was a little dirty, and my clothing was gross. I wished I could run home and shower but she had seen me now.

"Grandma!" Al said, running in and giving her a hug.

"Hello, Al, how are you?"

"I'm well." Jay came in and hugged her as well. She looked up at me.

"Hello." I said.

"Sadie, right?"

I nodded. "Yes."

She came into the kitchen. I was glad that I had tidied up. She handed me a plate of cookies, and they were still warm. "Ginny just told me that Lily was in the hospital." she said. "Or I would have been here sooner."

"It's okay." I said. "I've just made them some lunch and cleaned up a little. They should be home anytime, now. They just had to do one more test."

She nodded, and started doing the dishes by hand. This simple act made me feel useless- I had it under control, but she had taken over. I felt powerless now.

"You're a Healer, right?" she asked. I wondered if Ginny had talked about me.

"Yes." I said. "I'm a pediatric Healer."

"Did you treat Lily?"

"Last time she was in the hospital. But not this time- you're not allowed to when you have a close relationship with a patient. But I stayed over night with them."

"That was nice of you."

I just nodded.

"Is Lily going to be okay?" she asked, scrubbing pasta off a plate.

"She should be fine." I said. "She felt okay when I asked her this morning- her muscles are just a little sore, which is pretty normal. And my supervisor is working on her case, and she's a really fine Healer. She's in good hands."

"Good."

A somewhat awkward silence settled in. I didn't know what to do. I knew if I left the kitchen, I really would be surrendering any power over the household to Molly. Finally, thank god, Harry came in the door, carrying Lily. Molly shut off the water and ran towards them, fussing over Lily. She picked her out of his arms, and brought her upstairs. I watched him greet the boys, and went back to washing the dishes. I washed them by hand now.

Finally, he came in, and wrapped his arms around my waist, and putting his chin on my shoulder. "Hi." he murmured to me. "Why are you doing dishes by hand? You do have a wand."

I sighed. "I was doing them with magic, but someone came in and started doing them by hand." I said quietly.

"Ah." he said, nuzzling my neck. "Was she mean to you?"

"No." I said. "Why?"

"She can be over protective."

"She intimidates me, but she's not mean." I told him. "I'm so tired."

"How long have you been awake?"

"I don't even know what day it is." I admitted. "Since yesterday morning, I think, with like, three hours of sleep last night. Maybe."

"Why don't you go lay down in my bed?" he asked. "I'll take care of Molly, Lily's going to take a nap. The boys are all set."

I just nodded, and leaned up to kiss him. I walked upstairs, slumping down in his bed. I don't think my head even hit the pillow before I was overcome with sleep.

I woke up a little later, to him crawling into bed with me. "Hello." he said, and I heard the clink of his glasses onto the bedside table.

"How long did I sleep?" I asked.

"An hour or so..." he said. "You need more sleep."

"Yeah." I mumbled. "Molly's gone?"

"Mmhm..." he muttered, speaking to my neck. "She took the boys with her."

"Good." I said. We were both too exhausted to sleep, but also to stay awake. I shut my eyes and rested my head on his shoulder. "Lily's asleep?"

"Yeah." I was about to fall asleep, but he sat up. The sudden movement made my eyes shoot open. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Who was that man you were with this morning?"

"What?" I asked, confused.

"The man you were with at the hospital- tall, blonde hair."

"Keith?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

"Maybe." he said. "He had Healer robes on."

"That's Keith." I told him. "He's training me. Are you jealous?" I sat up and looked at him. He just shrugged, and looked away from me. "Don't be jealous."

"M'not." he said.

"Yes you are." I poked him in the stomach and he jumped. "He's my trainer, for chrissakes."

He just shrugged. I leaned in and kissed him. "I'm sorry." he said. "I think I'm just too tired."

"Please, please don't be jealous." I begged. "It's so not worth it."

He agreed, and drifted off to sleep for awhile. I did too, but never letting myself fall too deeply asleep so I would be able to sleep later. He shot out of bed. "What's wrong?" I asked. He had to stop doing that.

"I'm late for a meeting. I've got a meeting with people at Witch Weekly to try to stop the article." he said.

I nodded. "Alright." I told him. I rolled back over as he put pants on, and slept a little more. He was still gone about forty minutes later when I got out of bed. I checked on Lily, who was still asleep. I had never been in her bedroom before. I wanted to always leave them some privacy.

I went down and sat on the couch, waiting for Harry. I was starving, but knew he probably was too. Plus there was no food in the house, other than another box of pasta, but there was nothing to put on it. I turned on the telly and watched that for awhile. Finally, he was home.

"Hey." he said. "Sorry it took me so long. I brought food, though."

I took the bag of food from The Leaky Cauldron and took it to the kitchen to put on plates. He went upstairs and woke up Lily, so she could come eat dinner. I put it all on plates and brought it into the living room.

She looked so tired, as he carried her down the stairs. "Hi, Sadie." she said, her little head leaning against my side.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Sleepy..." she mumbled. Harry managed to get some beef into her before she said she was full and fell asleep on his lap.

"How did the meeting go?" I asked. I couldn't really get a reading on his emotions- he didn't seem particularly angry or happy.

He sighed. "Well." he started.

"This can't be good."

He shrugged. "I'm just a little aggravated. The editor I talked to... she was pretty honest about it." he said. "Rita Skeeter has been in charge of the whole article, and she did quote me a price for me to get her not to run it this week. However, there's the dilemma that the article doesn't truly belong to Witch Weekly yet. And Rita works as a freelance- she has no contracts with them. So if I pay them off not to say anything, then there's no guarantee she won't just talk it to another magazine and publish it there- then she also has the information that I've paid out Witch Weekly and will add that into the article."

I hated this woman, but I took a deep breath, exhaling deeply. "Do you know what the article says?" I asked.

"No idea." he said. "I wish I knew."

"I mean..." I tried to gather what I was trying to say. "Pretty much everyone important to us knows about us now, right?"

"Yes." he said.

"So no one that we personally know will be affected by the article." I said. "Unless they somehow found out about the pregnancy."

"Could they?" he asked, rubbing his face. His face was getting stubble-y and gross. "I mean, who knew about it?"

"Cor." I said. "And my parents, and my sister."

"And me." he said. "I didn't tell anyone."

"And the Healer." I told him. "But she wouldn't tell anyone because she's a Healer. And she has no idea I'm dating you."

He nodded. "So I don't think they could have gotten ahold of that." I said, thinking.

"Cor wouldn't talk to anyone?" he asked. "You're sure?"

"Positive. She would never."

I was thinking about it- it wasn't something she would do. "Okay."

"How much was it to pay off the article?"

"A lot." he admitted. "They're seeing this as one of the biggest articles ever."

"Wow." I nodded, a little amazed. Why did people really care that much about our private lives? This absolutely stunned me. We were just people, and Witch Weekly was a very popular magazine.

"They said it might even get more circulation than the issue about my first wedding." he told me.

"I never saw that." I said.

"I've got it in the office if you want to take a look at it later." he said. "But it was pretty big. I can teach you how to do some basic glamor charms for when you go out in public and don't want to be... well, drawn attention to."

"How much, really?" I was curious.

"Well, he mentioned somewhere in the 1500 to 2000 galleon range."

My jaw absolutely fell to the floor. That was a ton of money. "Cor's and my flat is about a hundred and ten galleons a month- that's almost two years of rent!" I said.

"And you have an expensive flat- they're much cheaper further down the alley." he said. "I know- it's crazy."

It was even crazier that he could probably pay it. That was a little less than about half my yearly salary. I just shook my head, completely in disbelief. "I can't even understand that."

"Yeah..." he brought Lily upstairs, and put her back in bed, then came back downstairs. I was getting tired again.

"Are the boys staying over with Molly?"

"Yes." he said. "They are."

"Can I stay here?" I asked. "Or would that be weird for Lily?"

"I don't think she'll notice." he said. "Plus, I don't think it'd be weird. She's very fond of you."

I nodded.

"And Teddy's got a few of his mates coming over on Friday night."

"So does that mean you want me to make myself scarce?"

"No." he said, surprising me. I figured he wouldn't want me around them. "I'd like you here. But all of the other kids will be with Ginny."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Would Teddy want that?"

He shrugged. "He'll be busy." he said.

"I asked him today what it was about me that he didn't like."

"Oh."

"He said that it's that you don't need me."

His face was a little confused for a moment., then he sighed. '"I"m sorry." he apologized. "I will have a talk with him again. I think maybe some time away- while he's at Hogwarts, might do him some good to think about things."

I nodded. "I want him to like me, I just don't think he will."

"Give him some time." he murmured. I stayed over that night, which was nice. In the morning, we both got up really early and sat outside, watching the sun rise as we drank coffee. I was no longer shaky and dizzy from the exhaustion, just a little tired.

And then I left, having to work the next two days

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews, everyone! I'm sorry if I sounded whiny in the last note, that wasn't what I was going for at all. I just wonder why some people are mean, but please, keep the constructive criticism coming! I promise you'll see an improvement in my writing. So, thank you everyone :) Contrinue to review and there'll be another chapter up soon!


	27. Chapter 27

Brynne generally seemed okay with me again, and training with Keith went really well. As I got to know him better, I was more and more convinced he and Cor should go out. They were perfect for each other. I just had no idea of how to suggest it.

And Friday was... the day. I made sure I had enough food and stuff so I didn't need to leave my flat the next day. I walked down Diagon Alley, enjoying the sight. I wondered if this might be my last time walking down the street in near anonymity. I tried to enjoy it, and stopped to get ice cream downstairs. Only one photographer sat on a garbage bin outside my door, and although he called to me, I ignored it. I ate my ice cream in peace, and went to bed. I felt like I was restraining my emotions as best I could- I didn't w ant to make a big deal about it, though it both angered me and embarrassed me that tomorrow, anyone with a handful of change could read a various assortment of truth and lies about my life.

I woke up, and the flat was quiet. I knew Cor would be away this weekend- she was visiting her brother for his birthday and he lived up in Scotland. I got up, and made some toast for breakfast. There were already a few owls hovering outside my window, and I let them in. I was nervous about what they might actually contain.

I was a little interested to hear what total strangers had to say. I opened up the first one- it was on frilly pink paper- signed from one of my Hogwarts classmates- Mindy Dellings. I vaguely remembered her. I hadn't really kept in touch with any of my classmates. But I was also completely aware of what she was doing. She just wanted to have lunch with me to get close to Harry, so I threw it into a pile to be tossed.

In the next hour, I received even more mail. I got love letters from both men and women, hate letters, offers to clean my flat, a beauty parlor offering me free services, a wedding planner service, and applications to be nannies.

I had to wonder, what the hell exactly was in the article? Also, why were these people writing me?

Letters streamed in constantly, starting to fill up the table. I threw some of them away- the nanny applications being the first ones to go. As I sorted through more, I found other magazines and publications asking for interviews, and offering great sums of galleons in exchange.

Around noon time, I finally decided I had enough, and I had to go see what the article said. I put on sunglasses and piled all of my hair on top of my head. Hopefully that was enough to deter people from me. I Floo'd to the Leaky, so I wouldn't have to face any photographers at my door.

I walked quickly, weaving in and out of the crowd. There were many children at Diagon Alley today, getting their stuff together before Hogwarts next week.

I made my way to Flourish and Blott's, walking quickly but trying to avoid bringing attention to myself. Once I got in there, it was packed. Upstairs, children were buying their books. I made my way to the magazine rack.

About eight women were congregated around the rack, all holding copies of Witch Weekly. "Well, I think it's good he's finally gone out with a woman." one of them said. "You never know about a man who is young and doesn't want some sort of relationship."

I was extremely intrigued, but knew I should probably get out of here before I heard something I didn't want to.

"But why her?" a pretty brunette asked, flipping through the pages. "I mean, she's pretty, I guess, but she's such a no one."

I wanted to tell her that was what he needed- but I decided not to. As much as I wanted to tell her off, I didn't want to draw attention to myself. "Excuse me." I said, moving past a woman, and grabbing two copies of the magazine.

"What do you think?" the brunette asked me.

I just shrugged. "He has a right to be happy., I guess." I said, quietly. I moved toward the register, and paid for them quickly. I tried to get out of the Alley as soon as I could. I had to Floo back up to my flat, and Harry was waiting for me.

"Hello." he said. He was sitting at the table, going through letters.

"Hi." I sighed. I nudged him so I could sit on his lap, where he wrapped his arms around me. I felt safe there. I laid the two copies of the magazine out on the table. He was reading a letter from another one of my classmates, Christa.

"Well, you certainly got popular over night." he said.

"You haven't gotten any letters?" I asked.

"The Ministry takes care of all that stuff. They sort through it and forward any legitimate letters to me."

I nodded. "You're lucky."

"Did you get caught getting the magazines?" 

"No." I said. "But I need you to teach me some charms. I know some potions but they're not very convenient."

"No, they aren't. Can't have you walking around Pollyjuiced."

I slid off him and went to the couch, where I examined the magazine for the first time. The cover was mainly a photo of Harry, and tiny picture of me, and the words 'POTTER DATES AGAIN!: A COMPLETE EXPOSE ON HIS FIRST RELATIONSHIP POST-DIVORCE'

He got up and joined me on the couch, reading his own copy. I flipped to the page where the article began. I was amazed at how long it was- almost six pages. The pages were littered with photographs, and I felt extremely exposed. There was my employee picture from the Hospital, a picture of me when I graduated from Healer training, and pictures of us at the book store last weekend. On the next page was a picture of Cor and I at the Leaky Cauldron.

"How did they get these pictures?" I asked. I really felt violated.

"Rita has people everywhere, they have cameras without a flash, and there's no regulation on them." he said. "It's unfair. Hermione's got a bill drawn up to combat them and has been working on it for years."

I started reading it.

_By Rita Skeeter. _

_The day we thought would have come ages ago has finally arrived: Harry Potter, 34, The Man-Who-Conquered, is off the market once again. Although his divorce from Quidditch star Ginny Weasley, 33, has been finalized for almost three years, this is the first time he has pursued a relationship._

_And who is the lucky lady, of course? That would be pediatric Healer Sadie Lewis, 27. Sources close to the couple reveal they have been dating for at least two months..._

I turned to him. "How far are you?" I asked.

"Just starting it."

"So far everything seems accurate, at least..."

"Yeah." he said. I read the whole article, scanning down.

_Is there a possibility the relationship is moving very fast? Two weeks ago, Sadie was seen having breakfast at the Leaky Cauldron after a shift at St. Mungo's, with best friend and roommate Cordelia Hamilton. They were overheard talking, and a witness said their conversation seemed very serious. According to the witness, Cordelia Hamilton brought her a stomach settling potion to drink before she ate breakfast. They spoke of a decision to 'keep it' and talked of a test. Could the Man-Who-Conquered be expecting a fourth child? And not to worry, as was also over heard, Harry is planning on marrying her. Looks like another exquisite wedding will be occuring in the months to come!_

I stopped reading there, a little queasy. He was still reading, he was a much slower reader than I was. I watched his facial expressions as he read the part about me being pregnant.

"I thought you said you never discussed the pregnancy!" he said.

"Well, I said I talked about it with Cor!" I told him. "I never thought there'd be people listening! It was busy at the Leaky! I've been going there for years, I just thought people would have been used to seeing regulars and... ugh." I didn't want to cry, but I was filled with a great frustration. Tears started into my eyes, but I worked to not let them fall. My chest tightened and I didn't know what to do.

"I'm sorry." he said quietly. "This is all my fault. I should have paid them off. I should have prepared you better. Now your life story is all over every witch in England's coffee table."

I looked at him. It was really hard for me to grasp everything that was happening. "It's not your fault." I said, wiping my nose. "Why do you have to be famous? You're not that great."

He snorted, and stood up. "Thanks, Sadie."

I stood up and put my head on his shoulder. "You know what I mean." I said. "It's been over fifteen years since you killed Voldemort. You're just a normal person."

He nodded. "Yeah." he said. "I am."

We were frustrated together, too full of emotion to eat anything other than crackers. Eventually he went back to work. I had plans to go over his house later though. I really didn't know what to think about the letters that continued to pour in, or the magazine that had most of my life story that was sitting on my table. I sighed, and spent the afternoon cleaning up. I just tried to keep busy, and try my best not to dwell on everything. That was sort of hard, though, when the letters kept pouring in.

Around four, I packed up my stuff and made my way over to his house. He was home, outside, helping Teddy pitch a tent in the field. I stood outside watching for a few minutes, before they were done. Teddy said hello, then went inside, and Harry bounded up to me. "Hello." he said, wrapping me into a hug.

"Hi." I said, a little surprised at the large hug.

"Have I mentioned I'm really sorry about the article?" he asked.

"Don't worry about it." I told him. "We'll take it as it comes."

He nodded. "But I got something fun for us to do this weekend, at least."

"Hmm?" I asked.

"Well, I have a Pensieve at work and I brought it home for the weekend. I thought it might be fun to look at old memories."

I squinted at him. "Really?" I asked, examining his face. There was something off about him, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Yeah." he said. "See what we were like when we were young."

I wasn't so sure I wanted him to see me when I was younger, when I was with Nicholas. And I didn't really want to see him with Ginny. It didn't really seem like such a great idea to me, but maybe it would be all right. He seemed really enthusiastic about it, at least.

I just nodded. "That might be fun." I said. "What time are Teddy's friends getting here?"

"Five." he said. "So, pretty soon. But I'm just going to cook them dinner and serve it and set up the fire. Then they're on their own."

"Is it good to leave a bunch of fifteen year old kids unattended around a fire?" I asked. I wasn't really an expert in that stuff but it didn't seem like a good idea to me.

"Oh, there's a ward up. They'll be fine. And we're going to be in the house if anything happens." he said. "It will be fine."

He handed me a glass of wine. I hung back from them all as two boys showed up and Harry helped them all get settled. He made hamburgers, started their fire, then came into the living room, carrying plates of food for us. "I think they're all set." he said, settling into the couch.

"So what sort of memory did you want to see?" I asked. "I'm a little... apprehensive." I felt very uneasy about the whole situation. I didn't want him to get jealous, and I wasn't sure I wanted to see.

"Why?" he questioned right back.

"Well, I mean..." I tried to think of the right words. "You were jealous of seeing me the other day with Keith, who's a co-worker and a superior. And that was just him being near me. I don't want you to get crazy jealous seeing me with Nicholas."

"I won't." he said. "Will you get jealous seeing me with Ginny?"

"Well, probably a little." I admitted. I didn't want to see them together. Although it was completely unfounded, I would always be a little jealous of her. She still held a lot of power over Harry and she had gotten so much.

"So it's fine." he tried to convince me. But I had a gut feeling that something wasn't completely right with him, though I still couldn't put a finger on it. "I just want to see you when you were younger... I feel like it could do us good."

I looked into his eyes, and it all looked very wholesome. I nodded, "Fine." I said. I tried to think of a good memory. I didn't really have any, that wouldn't totally fill him with jealousy. I mean, there was our engagement, which was about as chaste as it got, and I was still afraid it would make him upset. "What is it... is there a certain memory that you want to see? I don't really know where to go with it. I'm so afraid of upsetting you."

"Don't be." he said. "I promise." He pulled my hand up to his mouth and kissed it. By now it was dark out, and I could hear some noise outside- just the boys. "What do you want to see?"

I shrugged. "Just you." I told him. "I'm happy with the present."

The slider door from the patio to the kitchen slammed open. We jumped. "Teddy?" Harry asked, standing up and drawing his wand. "Is everything all right?"

"Is everything all right?" Teddy asked. I could tell from his voice everything was not all right. He held a copy of Witch Weekly in his hands. Shite, I thought. "No, Harry, everything is not bloody all right!"

"Calm down, Teddy." Harry said, drawing himself up to his full height. "Let us explain-"

"Explain what?" Teddy snarled. "Holy shite, Harry. You've turned into Ginny- you promised you wouldn't do that. Now look at you, you're such a hypocrite!"

"Teddy." Harry warned. "Calm yourself down right now."

"You've been dating for two months and now you're getting married? And she's pregnant?" he yelled. "And I have to find out from my friends? Why don't you just ship us all off somewhere now? Be easier on us all, give you plenty of time to spend on the new, most important kid."

I was completely flabbergasted at Teddy's behavior. Hurt and anger and just plain confusion tore through me, and I felt I might throw up. I could only imagine this was what he was holding inside for the last month and a half. "Sadie, I think you should go upstairs." Harry said, the tone of his voice very tight.

"But- I-" I tried to think of why I should stay down there, but came up with nothing.

"Sadie, please." Harry said, the tone sharp. I just nodded and bounded upstairs, closing myself into his bedroom. I was definitely hurt by Teddy's words. Actually, I was quite a bit hurt. I hadn't turned Harry into a Ginny, had I? I didn't think so. I was just kind of numb, now, not sure what to think. It had been the day from hell.

But my mind was racing. Was the possibility of ever having a good relationship with Teddy just shattered? I could hear yelling downstairs, but couldn't really make out the words. Harry's voice was especially angry. Finally, I heard Teddy stomp away and slam the door shut.

My heart beat wildly in my chest as I heard Harry ascend the stairs. He opened the door, and looked weary and anger was still on his face. I sat on the bed, nervous as to what he might say to me. Was this enough to destroy our relationship?

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews, everyone. Hopefully, I'm working towards sorting all my writing issues out? Let me know. Anyways, wasn't that an angsty chapter? It'll get better. I'll be posting a very short (1500 words instead of my usual 2500-2800) chapter tomorrow- it's the shortest thing I will ever call a chapter- but I need it for the story (and you'll understand it when you read it, I promise). So yeah, let me know what you think of the chapter! Thanks! ...oh, and shameless plug: I also vlog, but I don't seem to be getting a lot of hits on youtube. So if you'd like to watch my vlogs, the link is in my profile. Thanks!


	28. Chapter 28

He didn't say anything as he came in. "I'm sorry." he said.

"It isn't your fault." I told him, extending my arm to touch him. But he shrugged me away from him.

"No." he said. "I'm sorry, but I think you should go home."

"Home?" I asked. I was confused. He wanted me to leave? Hurt filled me.

"Yeah." he told me. He couldn't meet my eyes and just stared off into the fireplace, with an expression I couldn't discern on his face.

"All right." I said, my voice getting high. My chest was tight and my body wanted to cry, but I tried to hold it together until I got home. "If you're sure." I picked up my bags, giving him a few moments to change his mind.

"Yeah." he mumbled.

I wanted a kiss goodbye, and he wouldn't. I felt... hurt. I wasn't sure where this was coming from- I knew we were both upset but I felt so alone in this. "I'll see you later." I said, anger and frustration filling me.

I Floo'd home to my empty flat. It was dark, but Sam came to rub against my ankles. I picked him up and sat on the couch, snuggling him. I hated to feel this awful over a night of rejection from Harry- I was my own person and didn't need him. But after only two months of dating him, I sort of forgot what I used to do on week end nights. Normally Cor and I might go down to the Leaky to have a pint, which was sort of out of the question now. Or we would go out dancing, but I didn't want to do that.

My options were pretty much to stay in and clean. But the apartment was mostly clean, because that's what I had done earlier.

I sighed, and went to the ice box. There wasn't anything very good to eat. Neither of us had been shopping in awhile. I found a bottle of some fizzy alcoholic drink Cor bought in the back, and opened that up out of boredom.

My mind wandered... I could call Elise... but I didn't want to just call her to talk about Harry. That didn't seem very fair. And I could go visit my parents, but I didn't want to go there to talk about him either. It looked like a night in, I guessed. I turned on the TV and tried to find something to watch., I needed something to fill this void.

I wasted the night on stupid telly shows, but at least I was doing something. I tried not to mope about Harry, and held hope he'd come over in the morning and we'd straighten everything out.

I woke up early, after a night of rough sleep. I just didn't feel well. It was early, I knew, and he had a bunch of sleeping teenagers at his house, but I hoped he would have sent me a message on the Twig. I sent him one.

Hello?

No reply right away, so I went and took a shower to distract myself.

Once I'd showered and dried off, I checked again- still no reply. I waited until after lunch- practically almost dinner time, until I got absolutely stir crazy, to go there and see what was up. I sent him a message first- warning him I was coming over. I peeked in the window before I went in- all of Teddy's stuff was gone. I was afraid he had run away or something- that was not what I wanted.

I banged on the door, but no answer. This was so frustrating.

I wondered where an extra key to get in might be, and then remembered he didn't lock his doors like a Muggle. "Harry!" I yelled. No response, so I yelled again. Was he even home? I wondered. I had no way to get in.

I went around to the back patio, and started to check to see if windows were locked. All of them, by a type of magic I didn't understand. I was so frustrated by now- this was crazy. I walked back around front and yelled for him again. Finally, I heard noise inside and he opened the door.

"Where have you been?" I asked, frankly, annoyed. "I've been trying to get in for ten minutes."

"Sorry." he said. "I was asleep."

I nodded, and moved to hug him. He was limp in my arms. "What's wrong?" I asked, concerned. I looked up at him, trying to figure him out. I could already feel my throat tightening, because it didn't look like he'd be saying anything good.

He just shrugged, and went into the kitchen. I followed him, leaning against the counter.

"No, seriously, what's wrong?" I asked. "You've been acting strange since yesterday."

"Well a lot of shite's gone down in the past twenty four hours, sorry." his tone was sharp and bitter, and it hurt. It made me angry and filled me with aggravation.

"Well, maybe if you would talk to me about it..." I tried to not let my anger get in my voice, but it did.

"What is there to talk about?" he turned, facing me.

"Well, what happened with Teddy?" I asked.

"He went to his grandmother's for the weekend."

"And did you talk to him?" 

"What's there to talk about?" he snarled. "He's sort of right."

"No, he's not!" I said. I wanted to hit him! Why was he acting like this?

"You don't understand, Sadie! You don't have kids. I deluded myself too long that you could handle it. I can't do the whole two life thing." 

I was just blinking at him, the words he said went into my ears but I wasn't really registering them. Tears stung my eyes. "Fine." I said. I didn't even know what I was doing. "I thought... I thought... I don't know what I thought." I felt nausea stir in my stomach. Deeply, I wanted him to snap out of this. Tears spilled down my face.

"Leave, Sadie." he said, turning to walk upstairs.

I just blinked at him. "Please." I begged. "Can't we talk about this a little more?" I blinked rapidly to keep my eyes clear. If this was the last time I would see this lovely house, I was going to remember it.

He just shook his head and walked upstairs. I felt myself break down, not attempting to keep it in any longer. But it felt so wrong. This wasn't the Harry that I knew. This wasn't him at all.

I walked to the apparition point, afraid I might splinch, but I did it anyways. As soon as I got home, I absolutely lost it. I had never felt this... broken and messed up. Even breaking up with Nicholas was not this painful. I cried so hard I was gasping for breath, and I felt so alone. Cor wouldn't be back until tomorrow night. My parents... I definitely didn't want them to see me like this.

Why was I acting like this, I wondered? It was so unlike me to be irrationally upset like this.

It was because I loved him so much. Even if we'd only been dating for a few weeks, it felt like we'd done a really good job with our relationship. But he just wasn't acting like himself. I wondered why, exactly. Had he snapped yesterday when Teddy told him he was acting like Ginny? Had he not taken the right potions this week and his moods had gone all funky?

I caught my breath, letting my tears slow down and trying very hard not to think too hard.

I knew what I needed to do, and personally, I never thought it would come to this. I splashed my face with cold water and grabbed a travelling cloak. It had started to rain.

I Floo'd to the Leaky, and ran out the door. The pub was lively, like most Saturday evenings, but I couldn't deal with it, and went out into Muggle London, just a step on my journey.

Forty minutes later, I arrived at my destination, clutching the wet cloak close to me after a combination of magic and Muggle travel. I got up to the porch, sheltered from the intense rain, and knocked on the door. Standing out here, in the rain, I wondered if I'd regret coming here tonight. She might not be able to help me or appreciate that I'd interrupted her Saturday night. It was a few moments before the precise person I was looking for opened the door.

"I need your help." I said, my voice cracking.

Author's Note: So... what do you think? Please let me know. This will be the shortest thing I will ever pass as a chapter, most of my chapters are much longer. I really want to know what you guys think, so please let me know :) I start school tomorrow, so updates will definitely slow down for a few months before my AP classes are my priority. Also, 125 people are subscribed to this story- and it gets about a thousand hits per chapter- can I please have six reviews per chapter? Thanks.


	29. Chapter 29

Hermione looked surprised to see me, "Come in." she said. "Is everything all right?"

"It's kind of a long story." I explained. My heart beat rapidly in my chest, and for a second I doubted my decision in coming here. I was probably bothering her. Plus, now, without Harry by my side, I was a lot more intimidated. "And I... I want to apologize in advance, because this totally isn't something I'm going to make a habit of but I really just need your help, I think."

"Of course." she said. "It's just me home, I hope that's okay. Ron's at work and Rosie's with her cousins... can I get you a cup of tea?"

She looked just about as nervous as I did, and I nodded. I was glad the feeling was mutual.

"Is everything all right?" she asked again. She handed me a cup of tea, and sat down, rubbing her stomach.

I took a deep breath. "I know... " I stopped, to collect my thoughts. "I know that this is going to just sound like normal relationship problems but it isn't. I promise."

I could nearly hear her gulp, and she settled into her chair. "All right." she said.

"Harry's acted very... weird both yesterday and today." I told her. "Like, the magazine wrote that thing- and we were both anticipating some friction over that, but it's been way worse... Teddy found out last night and started yelling that I'd turned him into Ginny and all sorts of awful things about sending them away..."

"Oh, dear." she said, sipping a cup of decaf tea.

"And he told me to go home, which I figured he just needed some space and it would be better for me to not be there while Teddy was so upset."

"Yeah, of course."

"So," I took another big breath. "I went back today. First of all, he was asleep at three o'clock in the afternoon, which is so bizarre for him. And he was being very volatile and cranky and doesn't want to talk about it and told me Teddy's right and he just wanted me to go away- which I know- it sounds like relationship problems, but he's acted so unlike himself. It's not the Harry that I know. I don't know who that is. And..." I trailed off.

"How long has he been acting like that?" she asked.

"He seemed... a little weird yesterday morning when we were looking at the magazine, but I thought it was just because of the magazine."

She nodded. "I..." she trailed off, looking a little... conflicted. "You're right. That doesn't sound like Harry. It's..." she sighed. "Earlier this week he was worried that the article would ruin your relationship but he was going to work so hard not to let it. Here, I think we should pay him a visit."

"He's going to be angry." I said.

She nodded. "Probably." she shrugged. "He'll get over himself. Do you mind Flooing?"

"No." I said, following her through the fireplace into the living room.

"Harry?" Hermione called. No answer, so she went upstairs. She opened his bedroom door, and he was face down, asleep on his bed. The bed wasn't made and he had clothing all over the floor.

"Should we be doing this?" I asked.

She turned around. "You asked for my help." she said. "I'm trying to help you."

I would just keep quiet, then. She went over to him, and slipped his wand out of his back pocked, putting it in hers. Then she went to the bathroom, and opened the medicine cabinet. I followed her, silently. She picked up a bottle, and to me it looked like a mood stabilizer or anti depressant. It had started to turn a funny color.

"He hasn't been taking his medicine to make him okay. Ugh, Harry..." she groaned. "Idiot."

I felt very relieved that this was the solution to the problem. I finally felt like I could breathe again. "How do we fix this?" 

She went into the other room and shook him until he woke up. "What do you want, Hermione?" he groaned, opening his eyes.

"Why haven't you been taking your potions?" she asked, turning the light on.

"Go away." he said. "I don't want to hear it."

"What the hell, Harry?" Hermione asked. I didn't know what to do. Hermione opened the drawer of the table next to his bed, and rumagged about.

"What're you doing?" he asked, grabbing for his wand. "Hey- where's my wand?"

She handed me what looked like a prescription. "Sadie- can you go to the apothecary and get that filled? The one in Hogsmeade is probably less busy and more secure."

I nodded, and went downstairs. I apparated to the apothecary, and found it was closing soon. I just asked them to fill the potion. I was pretty sure the old man hadn't read Witch Weekly, and felt safe. It took twenty minutes and I had the potion. Hermione was downstairs, waiting for me. "Stay down here." she said, and went upstairs. She returned a few minutes later, looking warn out.

"I gave it to him." she said. "But he'll need at least three more doses before he's back to himself..."

"Why would he go off the potions, Hermione?" I asked. "I don't understand."

She shrugged. "I... I have no idea. I had lunch with him last week and he was so happy... I mean, it was before Lily got sick, but still... he said he was happy with you and mostly how the kids had taken to you- that he was working on Teddy... He was worried about Witch Weekly but I don't think it would have caused this big of a lapse. I just don't know."

I took a deep breath. "Me either." I sighed. "But thank you."

She nodded. "Of course. At least the kids weren't around to see most of it. I will come back tomorrow or send Ron to make sure he takes his potion. He's... I don't trust him until he's okay again."

"Okay." I said. "So I should probably leave him alone for a day or two?"

She nodded, but looked a little sad. "I think that might be best, unfortunately."

"Thank you so much." I repeated.

"I'm glad you came to me, to be honest." She admitted. "Who knows what would have happened?"

I took a deep breath. "All right." I left, apparating home. I didn't even know what I was feeling right now. Relief, anger, hurt... all emotions that were hitting me hard. I was sick of crying, I was sick of sitting alone in the dark flat. I wanted to go out and distract myself. I Floo'd to the Leaky, and went to Muggle London. I first got an Indian takeaway, because I was hungry and I wanted to pig out. I sat in the park, eating it. I wasn't sure what to do, really. I could go out to my parents' house, but didn't realy want to talk about it all.

I still wanted a tattoo, but I really wanted Harry to be there for that. So I walked around. Some art school was having a presentation in the park, so I decided to go to that. It was really cool, looking at the paintings and drawings and sculptures. I wandered over to the sign up table, and took a brochure. They had all sorts of classes to take- scultping, glass blowing, pottery, cooking...

Cooking, I thought. I had never really learned, and it was a week long class- during the day times. I was working nights this week, so that would work. I signed up for it. It was only fifty pounds for five classes and we got lunch every day. It would get me out of the house and couldn't hurt.

Then I went to a bakery and got a huge slice of cake. I wanted to indulge tonight, as best as I could. I considered going shopping- I did need some stuff for fall. I didn't have that much money on me, so I just went to one department store and got a few things.

Finally, I was out of money and starting to get tired, so I returned home, Flooing. I felt... somehow better. When I got home, I took a bubble bath and relaxed, then went to bed.

Sunday, I went out again, getting a cup of tea and sitting in a cafe to people watch. And then I went home, because I had nothing better to do. I did some reading for work, just to catch up on some notes. There was a knock on the door, and I got up to get it.

Harry stood there, looking like shite. His eyes were puffy and blood shot, his hair was sticking up all over the place, and he looked sad. This is probably what I looked like yesterday. To be honest- I didn't know what to say to him.

"Hi." he said, sheepishly.

"Hello." I tried to examine him and determine what he was up to. I couldn't tell. I was pretty sure he was back to normal. "Is your head on again?"

He nodded. "Can I come in?" he asked.

"Okay." I moved aside and let him in, shutting the door behind him. He was still in the clothing he was wearing yesterday. I felt a great anger toward him, but tried my best to contain it for now. I sat down on the couch, curling into the corner. He just looked at me, and didn't say anything.

"I'm so sorry, Sadie." he said quietly.

Anger and relief welled up, but I didn't quite know what to say. "Why?" I asked. "Why did you stop taking your potions?"

He sighed and sat down on the other end of the couch. "I... I guess I thought that I was so happy, that maybe I didn't need it anymore. Because last week everything was going pretty well and we were happy, and I knew my potion was going out but I didn't refill it because I thought this intense happiness would balance out my emotions."

"You really hurt me." I told him.

"I know." he said, looking down. "And I'm sorry- I really am. When I get like that nothing will get me out of it- it's like I have tunnel vision, I can only see what is going on and it's awful."

I took a deep breath. "Is that what you think is right, though? Do you think that Teddy is right and just won't tell me?"

He sighed again. "I... no. He's not correct. I just needed time to think and I was in a bad place. He's going to spend the rest of the week with his grandmother, who I told the whole situation. She's better at that stuff, then he'll spend the last night at my house, and I will talk to him again. He needed time to cool off."

I nodded. "I'm just afraid that we will never have a good... or at least a civil relationship."

"You will." he said. "It'll just take awhile. I promise, Sadie."

I took a deep breath. "You really scared me yesterday." I admitted.

"I scared me, to be honest." he said. "I just got on this path of destroying everything and I felt like I had no control."

He felt very bad- I could tell. And that made it really hard for me to be angry. "I am angry."

"You... you have a right to be." he said. "I understand."

"And what really scared me was how I reacted. I was devastated- you mean so much to me. And I thought I lost it and then I was scared when I was so hurt."

He leaned forward and took my hand in his, but didn't say anything.

"I'm not used to that- to being so attached to someone." I told him. "And it was weird... and a little bit restraining."

"So...?" he asked.

"No- I'm just saying. It freaked me out a little."

He nodded. "All right." he said, uneasily. "But... you do forgive me, right?"

I nodded. "Don't ever do that again." I said, as he pulled me closer to him. I let him. "I'm still angry at you." I told him. "But I forgive you."

"Good." he said, resting his head on top of mine. We were quiet for a few minutes. I felt relieved that it looked like we would be okay, but I wasn't going to immediately forgive him. "What did you do this weekend?" he asked.

"Nothing." I told him. "I was pathetic."

"Oh." he mumbled. Another minute or two passed in quiet. "Did you still want that tattoo?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Would you like to go get that now?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Maybe next weekend." I told him. "If I'm sore from it after, I don't want to have to go to work. So Friday night, probably."

"Okay." he said. "I'll take you to the place where I got mine done- it's a Muggle place."

I nodded. "All right." I said.

"Where's Cor?" he asked.

"With her family." I told him.

"When will she be back?"

"Tonight or tomorrow morning, not sure."

"You're working nights this week, right?"

"Yes." I said. "My last week before I take on the promotion."

"Congratulations. Could we go out to lunch tomorrow, then?"

I had the cooking class- so lunch wouldn't work. "Actually, I'm busy."

"Doing what?" he asked, a little shocked.

"I signed up for a cooking class."

He seemed surprised. "I see."

"I figure it's something I should get better at and it gets me out of the house."

He nodded. "I think it's a good idea." he said, sitting up. "So maybe you could come over tomorrow night for dinner then? You have to be to work at seven, yeah?"

"Yes. I could come over for dinner. What do your other kids think about the magazine?"

"They know it's not real." he said. "I talked to them. I told them not to worry about anything it said and not to read it."

"Good. While you're here, can you ward the building so that the photographers can't hang out in the alley? And teach me some glamor charms?"

"Of course." he said. "What have you go to eat, first? I'm really hungry."

"Teach me the glamor charm and we can go get something to eat."

He took out his wand. "It's not so much fixing each individual feature- it's a mask, essentially, where you do the one charm to assume another physical appearance. They don't teach it anywhere other than Auror training. How do you want to look?"

"What do you look like?" I asked. He muttered an incantation and transformed. He was about an inch or two smaller, had gained a little weight, more muscle in his arms. His eyes were brown, he had shorter hair, and had grown a bit of a beard. It was weird to see this strange, foreign man in Harry's place.

"This." his voice came out the wrong mouth.

"Wow." I said, reaching up and touching his face. It felt like him, sure enough. "I don't know. Just make me look pretty."

"You sure?" he asked, and I nodded. I didn't really care what I looked like. I knew it was all an illusion, and I could feel the tingle of magic on my skin. When he was done, I ran into the bathroom to see what he thought pretty looked like. I was a little shorter, with a short, blonde bob and porcelain skin, with green eyes like his own. It was a very foreign feeling, after staring at the same face for twenty seven years, to look into the mirror and see someone else there.

Yet, I was satisfied. This would give me some of my anonymity back. He taught me the charm, and we left, looking like two totally different people.

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews, guys :) You're all really nice. I wasn't going to update until tomorrow, but I stayed up really late last night writing. Oh- Bet that's not who you thought Sadie was going to visit. Let me know what you think in the reviews!


	30. Chapter 30

He put a ward on the alley before I opened the doors, and I saw the photographers walking down the street, looking very confused. "I wouldn't tell anyone I did that."

I nodded. We went somewhere down the street for a sandwich. We were quiet... the alley was bustling with people, still. I would be glad when the children went back to school and it settled down around here.

"James and Teddy ready to go back to school?"

"We've got a few more things to get tonight, actually. Well, Ted's all set, James has some stuff to get."

"Are they ready to go back?"

He nodded. "Yes. James wants to get back to his Quidditch and I think Teddy just wants to get the hell away from me."

Guilt rang through me. I felt like it was my fault that they were angry at each other. Eventually, we were done and in a better place than we were earlier. I was really glad to wake up on Monday morning and have this weekend behind me.

Cooking class went great- we made pasta and a tomato sauce, with chocolate chip cookies for dessert. The other members in the class were mostly either younger kids right out of university or older, retired people. But cooking was fun, and it tasted great. I was glad that I had signed up for it. Getting out of my house during the day for a reason other than work was a rarity, but I felt I should do it more.

I bummed around the house for the rest of the day, since Cor still wasn't home. I dealt with another box of letters that I'd gotten this weekend. At first, they interested me, but now they just annoyed me. I wanted them to go away, but knew I must get them out of the flat. Thankfully, they had slowed down to only a few letters a day at this point.

The letters that annoyed me the most were the ones from people I'd gone to school with or trained to become a Healer with and hadn't kept in touch with them. They simply wanted to have lunch or tea with me because of Harry. A great protective anger filled me up, wanting to shield him from people like that. The people that wanted to help plan our "wedding" or nanny our "baby" wrote unintentionally hilarious notes- and I put a couple aside to laugh over with Harry later.

I took a long, hot shower and started to get ready for work. I was very surprised that Cor hadn't gotten back from her brother's house by now, as she was cutting it really close.

I apparated to his house just before five, as I knew he would be home early today. Lily was on the couch, watching the telly, and Al was beside her, reading. He was deep into the book, I could tell, so I let him alone. "Hi, Sadie." he said quietly, hardly looking up from the book.

"Hello." I said to them, sitting in the middle of them. "How are you?" I put my arm around Lily, and she snuggled into me.

"Good." Lily said. "Papa's upstairs in the shower."

I nodded. "I'll just stay down here and hang out with you then, if that's alright."

"Uhuh." she muttered, focusing on the telly.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Better." she told me. "My legs don't hurt anymore."

"Good." I could smell a roast in the oven and it smelled delicious. Getting up to let Lily watch her show in peace, I went to check on it. It was very nearly done, but I didn't want to mess up Harry's cooking system. I could see James out in the field behind the broom, sitting down and polishing it up. He must have been getting it ready for school.

Harry came into the kitchen, his hair still slightly wet. "Hello." he said, kissing me quickly. "How are you today?"

"Well." I said. Clouds had begun to roll in and it looked like it might start raining soon.

"Cooking class went well?"

I nodded. "We learned to make tomato sauce from scratch. And chocolate chip cookies. And tomorrow we're learning how to saute meat."

"Nice." he said, checking dinner. "You'll have to make some for me sometime."

"All right." I said. He charmed the plates to set the table.

"Could you go get Jay and tell him it's almost dinner time? It's going to rain soon anyways."

I nodded, and walked outside, in the direction towards him. He looked up when I was within a few feet of him. "Hi Jay." I said, sitting down in the grass next to him.

"Hello, Sadie." he nodded, finishing the broom.

"Getting ready to go back to school?" I asked. I didn't want to let an awkward silence fall between us.

"Yeah. Quidditch try outs are less than two weeks away."

"I thought you were already on the team?"

"I am. But I don't want to lose my spot to one of the grimy second years." We both laughed. "And it'll be nice to be back with my mates." 

"I bet." We were quiet for a moment- I wanted to ask him something, but I wasn't sure if it was weird. I did it anyways, though. "What should I do about Teddy?" I asked.

"Oh." he stammered. "I dunno." I could tell he was deep in thought, though. "I... I talked to him yesterday and he's... pretty pissed."

I nodded. "I understand why he's pissed... or I'm trying to understand it. But... I want him to like me. I want all of you kids to like me."

"Well, obviously." he snorted.

"What do you think of me?" I asked. "You can be honest." My heart beat in my chest as I waited for him to respond.

"Well, I don't hate you. I think you're nice... and you treat us all very well" He offered. "And... Al and Lily love you, because they have way more innocence about the whole thing. I didn't catch a lot of the shite that went down and Pa went through- certainly not as much as Teddy, but Teddy shielded them both from seeing any of it. And I trust Pa more. He understands that we need time alone with him- but Mum doesn't always. She doesn't get sometimes we'd like to hang out with her without Margot and Dean tagging along. And I think he just understands everything so much better now- how not to do things, you know? I just think it might be a rough transition."

I nodded, understanding most of his reasons. It made sense- all of it. "Thank you." I said. "For telling me how you feel."

He just nodded. "Yep." he said. "Maybe you could write Teddy?" he asked. "Give him awhile to think about what he wants to say back."

"That sounds like a good idea, Jay." I told him. "You think he'll read it?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fairly sure he would read it." he said. "I don't think he really wants to make everyone miserable. I think... I'm not really sure. But it certainly couldn't hurt." A moment passed.

"Well, dinner's nearly ready." I announced. "And it'll start raining soon, so we should go inside."

He nodded, and I gave him a hand up. He put his broom in the shed and we went in for dinner. I felt a lot better after I had that conversation with Jay- I felt that what he had to say about the situation with Teddy would help me, and I was already trying to think of what to say to Teddy in a letter.

Dinner was yummy, but only minutes after we got inside, the sky opened up and it started to poor rain. It was a strange, cold rain that seemed to chill my bones and make everything feel damp. Thunder and lightning clanged off in the distance.

"Do you have to work tonight, Sadie?" Al asked.

"Unfortunately, I do." I told him, sighing.

"Will you come back tomorrow, then?" Al asked. Jay just remained quiet, probably unsure of what to say, like I was.

"Well, tomorrow is your last day all together before Jay and Teddy leave for Hogwarts." I told him. "So maybe you should spend it all together."

He nodded. "All right."

I looked at Harry and he agreed with me. "I don't want to go to work with the weather like this." I announced. "I just want to stay in and sit in front of your fireplace."

"Don't go to work, then." Harry suggested.

"Ugh, I wish. I've got to go- I'm supposed to be training today."

He nodded. I helped clear away the dishes, and it was about time for me to leave for work. "Well, Jay." I said. "I hope you have an awesome time at school this year."

He actually gave me a smile. "Thanks, Sadie."

"I guess I'll see you for Christmas holidays?" I asked, looking between Harry and Jay.

"You'll come to my Quidditch matches, won't you?"

"Oh." I hadn't thought of that. "Well, if you'd like me to, I'd love to."

"The first game's at the end of October- against Ravenclaw. And we're going to totally kick their-"

"Jay." Harry said, amused, "Sadie was a Ravenclaw."

"Oh." he said. "Well. I guess we won't go too hard on them."

I laughed. "Don't worry. Unless it's changed drastically in the last ten years, it doesn't take much to win against Ravenclaw."

He agreed with me. I smiled. I wondered if giving him a hug would be awkward for him, so I didn't chance it. But today had really helped Jay and my relationship, I thought, and I was pleased. I said goodbye to them all, and made my way to the hospital.

Cor was in the backroom, and I wanted to talk to her before I had to report to Keith. She looked exhausted and I wondered what she had been up to all weekend.

"How was your weekend?" I asked her, as she poured a cup of tea.

"Exhausting. We went hiking in Scotland and got stuck in a storm and I almost didn't make it back to work in time. It was me, Ollie and Meredith, plus Meredith's sleeze-ball cousin Rich in a tent for a very long, cold night."

I laughed at the mental picture I was getting. "You survived, though."

She nodded. "Even though I've showered and dried off, I still feel like a wet cat." she announced. "And it doesn't help that it's raining like we should build an arc in London."

"It should be over by the time we get off work, at least." I pointed out.

"True."

I saw Keith waiting for me, and went out to greet him. We were quiet as we went into his office, and he shut the door. "You never told me you were dating Harry Potter." he said, looking amused. "I brought him up and everything."

"Well," I shrugged. "I don't know. I don't generally introduce myself to people as 'Hello! I'm Sadie Lewis and I'm dating Harry Potter!' That would be strange."

"You're right." he said. "But what's he like? You must have met Ginny then, right? I bet she hates you. Oh- that's so exciting."

It was very amusing to see Keith- who was normally very professional, to be so excited.

"I don't know- he's just a normal bloke." I told him. "And yes, I've met her... but we're definitely not going to be best friends anytime soon. My friend Cor loves her too, and was excited when she got to meet her."

"I'm such a huge fan of hers." he said. "Cor- the Asian Healer?"

I nodded. "Yes."

"Is she single?" he asked.

"Uhuh." I said. "Why?"

His face turned slightly pink. "I know it probably wouldn't be supported within the Healing community but I was thinking about asking her for dinner." he said. "Would she say yes?"

I was elated- and knew Cor would be too. I knew they would really like each other. "I think so." I said, grinning. "Hey- why don't you come to our flat for dinner on Friday and I'll introduce you?"

"You would do that?" he asked.

I nodded. I spent the rest of the day working all as a Head Healer, with him shadowing me. It was stressful, but I was pleased with my work. And once we got back in the apartment, I couldn't wait to tell Cor. "I got you a date." I said, in a sing song voice. I wanted her to be as happy as I was- and my gut was telling me this would do it.

"What?" she asked, stopping as she dropped her bag.

"Keith is coming over for dinner on Friday." I told her, and waited for her reaction.

She just looked confused, and I froze. Had I done the wrong thing? "Really?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yes." I said. "That's good right?"

"Yes!" she breathed. "What'd he say?"

"Well, we were just talking about the whole Harry thing, you know, and he mentioned he was a huge fan of Ginny's- and I mentioned that you are too and then he asked if you were single." I told her.

"Oh." she gushed. "Thank you Sadie. There's even a match on Friday that Ginny's commentating on so we could listen to that. We're going shopping, Friday, then."

"Yeah?" I asked. "I could use some clothing." I thought.

"And Harry's kids are going back to school today, right?" she asked, pouring us coffee. "Or, the older ones, at least."

"Yes, they are."

"So you'll be spending more time over there, won't you? Lily and Al like you."

"Probably." I said. "I need clothing any way."

"Oh, I'm so excited." she sighed, sinking into the couch and wrapping up in a blanket. "This is great."

I grinned and went into my room, getting ready for some sleep. Being a Head Healer was kicking my butt. I picked up my Twig and sent a message off to Harry.

_Morning. How did last night go? Hope Teddy and Jay make it to the train okay- tell them both I say good luck. _

He sent me off a message right away, and I was pleased.

_Too busy to talk right now. It went fine- meet for a cup of coffee at the cafe across from the Leaky at four?_

_See you then._ I wrote back, and fell asleep for awhile. I had conflicting emotions swirling around in me- anger, hurt, and confusion from the issue with Teddy. I wanted him to like me- I knew he was a great person, and somehow I had brought out the worst in him. And I felt like we had almost reached a level of slight understanding before the magazine article had to go and mess everything up. I didn't know how to resolve it, but I would be buying a book tomorrow about how to deal with it as best I could.

And then I was happy... my life wasn't perfect, but it was very near to good. I had Harry, and he was wonderful. He made me happy, even if he did drive me crazy sometimes, and I was fond of his children. In him, I saw promise for a future, where I would be happy and we would figure everything else out. I also felt good about Cor and possibly Keith being together- the idea of it just filled me with a good feeling. I felt secure in my job and happy with my promotion.

I dreamed about happy, lazy things, and woke up feeling good. I went to cooking class and then it was nearly time for me to go meet him for coffee so I took a shower. Getting dressed, I just threw on jeans and a shirt, since my Healer Robes awaited me when I got back.

After checking my reflection in the mirror, I left the flat, and headed to the coffee shop.

Author's Note: So, I was kind of disappointed in the reviews for last chapter. Only three? That's my lowest, ever. I will not post another chapter with only three reviews on it. But here you go. Another update will probably be Wednesday or Thursday. I'll be working on two productions in the next two months so my life is about to get really hectic. To the people who are reviewing, thank you so much. You always make me smile and get me writing a little faster. To the people who aren't reviewing- PLEASE do! I promise, it may seem a little boring right now, but it's about to get more interesting!


	31. Chapter 31

I found him waiting for me, sitting on a couch in front of a fire that was going lightly. "Hello." I said, hugging him, and I leaned up for a kiss. "Harry" I said, holding my face against his own for a second longer than usual.

"Hello, love." he said, keeping me in an embrace. We sat down, and he had already gotten us drinks. "How are you?" he asked.

"Well." I nodded. "You? Did the boys get off okay? How did last night go?"

"I'm fine. I miss them both." he said, and I could see the trace of sadness on his face.

"They're okay."

"I know." he said. "I know they're off having a great time and getting all smart and stuff, and I know they're safe and I'll see them in a few weeks. It's just hard to say goodbye to them, and I know the house will feel so empty when I get home tonight, even though I've got Al and Lily waiting for me to come pick them up. They grow up too fast."

I just nodded. I couldn't really relate to what he was saying, but I could imagine. "I'm sorry."

"I know Al and Lils like being alone, though. But... it's the last year Al will be home too. This time next year, it'll just be me and Lils at home."

"And maybe me." I pointed out.

"That's true." he said, quietly, and looked up at me. His glance was well intended, but questioning. "Have you been thinking more about moving in with me?"

"I've been thinking about it, sure." I told him. "Not now. But I will spend more time at your house. Did you talk to Teddy at all?"

He raked his hand through his hair and sighed. "I tried." he said. "I... we've sort of come to an understanding. He's afraid we're going to break up and then I'll be depressed again and he will have to take care of the kids. And he is also afraid of being replaced, I think, not that he said that. I don't know what to do... I think you two need to get together and just work things out."

I nodded, and absorbed what he was saying. I was frustrated at Teddy. I knew he had gone through a lot of stuff, but I didn't know how to fix this situation. I ran my hair through my hair, and just nodded.

"We will figure it out." he assured me. "I know it. And someday we'll all look back at this and laugh, okay?"

I nodded, and leaned against him. "Okay." I said.

"And I might be going away for a day... or two this week, but it will be a quick trip, and I'll be pretty local."

"When will you know?" I asked. I didn't want him to go away.

"Probably the day I go- but I'll be able to send you a quick message before I go." he promised. "And then Molly or Ginny will take over the kids. I don't know about Ginny- she's been kind of ill the last two weeks, so hopefully she'll be all right"

"Is she okay?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I'd guess she's pregnant again but I'm not positive." he said. "She has really rough first trimesters."

I felt an almost... jealousy to the fact that she was pregnant. I knew that it wasn't my time, that being pregnant right now would complicate things to an unreasonable degree, but jealousy was there, nonetheless. "Do you ever wish it was you, starting on your sixth child?"

He looked away. "Sometimes." he admitted. "Like today, when I've had to say goodbye to Teddy and Jay, and Lily's getting bigger and bigger and less like a baby and Al will be gone next year. And Teddy will be moving out the next year, which is just weird."

"When did you get him?"

"Well, I spent a lot of time with him, always. He'd spend weekends at my old flat and go on trips with us. And then he stayed with us for longer than a few days about a year after Ginny and I got married." he said. "Andi- his grandmother, had fallen and broken her hip and it was a long recuperation, and I got him for awhile. It went really well, so we just decided to keep him more and more and eventually he was there all the time, and it just worked well. I adored him when he was younger. And then, Gin got pregnant with Jay and we decided to build the house, and we just built him a bed room and everything was good."

I nodded. "So you built the house before you know how many children you would have?"

"We both wanted around three, and Teddy was one, , so we built it for three children, and a guest room, which became Lily's. "

"Oh." I was learning so much tonight, and it was really nice to hear about this. I was still jealous of Ginny- and would probably always be, but I wanted to know more about their marriage. "So you hadn't planned on a third baby?"

He shook his head. "We planned on a boy and a girl, then we got two boys and still really wanted a girl. And I mean really wanted a girl."

"Wow." I didn't really care about what sex a child I would have. I always imagined a girl but wasn't too strongly inclined. I was curious about this younger Harry. "Maybe seeing things in the Pensieve would be educational."

He nodded. "What are your plans for the rest of the week? It could probably be arranged again this weekend."

"Well," I cleared my throat. "I still have cooking classes, and then Friday night, Keith is coming over for dinner because I'm setting Cor and him up."

"Oh." he said. "Wow. That's good."

I nodded. "I think so. So I'm going to cook dinner and just let them be. Actually, they have plans to listen to a Quidditch game, and I'll probably just fade out."

"I could come for dinner too, if you wanted." he offered.

That brought up a conflict in me- I wanted him there, oh, so badly. But I wasn't sure that would be the best idea. It would distract Keith, and he would take the attention away from Cor. But I was really glad that he had offered to come. It meant a lot to me- that he wanted to hang out with my boring, normal friends. And I didn't know how to tell him no. I didn't want him to think that I wasn't happy that he offered.

"I wish I could tell you to please be there, at six, with wine." I said, and waited to see his reaction, he didn't take it too badly. "I just don't think it would be a great idea. Keith would probably be too excited about you, and I really just want the focus to be on Cor."

"Of course." he said, nodding. "That makes lots of sense."

"But I really appreciate that you offered, and you will definitely be coming over for dinner soon." I told him, grinning.

He smiled back, leaned in and kissed me. Eventually, he had to go pick up Lily and Al, and I had to go home and get ready for work.

The time passed, and Cor and I prepared for Friday night. We went shopping Friday morning, going into the city for a nice breakfast and some retail therapy. She got a cute dress to wear for dinner, and I got some stuff I needed. I got a few sweaters, a coat, and some jeans to wear. It was a nice morning, and eventually I had to go to my last cooking class. We were making a full meal today- including an appetizer, meal, and dessert. I would go home and duplicate the meal later. It included a waldorf salad, steak, and chocolate cake. I thought it was a great meal.

When I got home, Cor had cleaned the flat from top to bottom, and it was shining. "Looks good." I told her, dropping the groceries I had bought on the table. I put some things in the ice box, and got to work.

"I'm so nervous." Cor said. "What if... it all goes horribly? What if I loathe him? What if-"

"I don't think I've ever seen you this nervous about a date." I laughed.

"I don't think I've ever been this nervous about a date." she admitted, clasping the necklace. "But, the flat is clean, and I look good- and this food that you're cooking smells absolutely fantastic, and the match hasn't been canceled. How bad could it really be?"

"Exactly." I grinned. "That's the spirit."

"Thank you, Sadie." she said, hugging me. "I want this to work out."

I squeezed her tightly. "I want this to work out too." I told her. "It will."

It was nearly time for him to show up, so I went to change my outfit. There was a knock on the door, and I heard Cor answer it. I heard voices and then Cor knocked on my door.

"Sadie." she said quietly, "There's a man out here who wants to talk to you."

"What do you mean?" I asked, feeling like something wasn't... right. There was something in Cor's voice that told me something was wrong.

"Just hurry." she urged.

I tied the waist to my dress taut and slipped on some heels, before opening the door. A man was standing in the kitchen with green Auror robes on. My stomach dropped, and I felt my hand begin to shake. "Hello." I said, panning from the man to Cor, who just looked a little scared.

"Sadie Lewis?" the man asked.

"Yes." I said. "Hello."

"I'm the Head of Magical Law Enforcement." he said. "Auror Andrew Pierce." He extended a hand and I shook it. "Do you have somewhere we could talk in private?"

My heart beat wildly in my chest, as questions raised in my head. Why was he here? Was something wrong with Harry? Was there a security issue? Was he hurt? Was he alive?

The fact that the last question had even occurred to me made me want to throw up. I had goosebumps, and wanted to find a time turner and go back to yesterday.

"It's not clean." I mumbled.

"It doesn't matter." he said. I lead him to my door, and suddenly wished I had cleaned my bedroom. It was too late now, so I just stuck it out and sat down at the end of my bed. "Sorry to have to do this, but I just need to ask you a security question. What is the tattoo that Harry has at the base of his spine?"

"A snitch." I said. "Is he okay? Why are you here- what's wrong?"

"Harry was hurt today while he on out on an assignment."

My stomach dropped and I was filled with nausea. He couldn't be hurt. In my mind, he was invincible. All I could think about what how hurt. "To what extent?"

"He's quite injured." he said, solemnly, "He's not going to die, but he should probably be at the hospital. However, Weasley told me about you and said that Harry would rather have you heal him than go to the hospital."

I nodded. "Where is he?" I asked, standing up. I needed to see him, I decided. I was irrational and I knew it but I couldn't do anything but think about my need to see him.

"He's at his house." he said, wringing his hand. "I'm not familiar with Healing at all, beyond the basic level they teach you in Auror training, but I would gather any potions you have and go to see him. I made sure he was stable before I left to come see you, but I know he's lost a lot of blood."

I nodded, but wanted him to leave so I could go fix Harry. "Okay." I said.

He began talking, but I couldn't focus on what he was saying, I was overcome with need to see Harry. I began mentally tallying what potions I had. I had a couple of weak Pain Relieving potions in the bathroom. I didn't know what shape he was in, but I had a feeling that might not cut it. I tried to remember what Cor would have in her store.

"Can I go visit him now?" I asked. I knew I had interrupted what he was saying and I was being rude but I didn't care.

He nodded. "Of course. If you believe you have to transfer him to St. Mungo's- please, do. But you're a Healer, you know what's best. If you need to contact me, I will leave you my card. And I will get in contact with Harry on Sunday night, just to see how he is, but he should expect to take at least a week off. I know it won't be easy to get him to stay away for a week, but..."

I nodded. "I'll do the best I can." I said.

"Thank you." He nodded, and with that, he apparated away.

I opened the door, and took a deep breath. I wanted to get the potions from Cor as quickly as possible and get myself to his house. It was consuming me. Keith was here, I could hear his voice, and I heard Cor's laugh. I walked into the living room.

When Cor saw me, she stood up, concern all over her face once again. "What happened?" she asked.

"Harry's been hurt." I announced, and went to the kitchen cabinet.

"Oh my God." Keith said, standing up as well. "How hurt?" 

"Is he at the hospital?" Cor asked.

"No. He's at home, alone." I said. "And I don't know how hurt he is or what exactly is wrong with him except that he lost a lot of blood and I need to get there. What potions do you have in your stores?"

She ran quickly into her bedroom, gathering it. I turned to Keith. "Hello, Keith." I said. "I'm sorry I've completely ruined the dinner."

"Oh my God." he said again. "Don't even worry about it. This isn't your fault. Call us over if you need help- this sounds like it could be really serious."

Cor came back out with a basket of labelled potions. "You." she pointed to Keith. "Are going to ignore my rediculously large potion stock. Here I've got, some heavy duty Pain Reliever Potion, some Blood Replenishing, which looks like it might be needed, I've got some Sleeping Potion that'll knock him out for six hours a dose, I've got Skele-grow, just in case, and some Muscle-Grow, if he's torn anything, and some pain salve and a Nutri-potion." She picked them all out of the basket and summoned a pouch to hand them to me.

"Thank you." I said, grabbing them from her. "I need to get to him."

"Call me if you need help. We can both come. Or bring him to the hospital- for some injuries he really just needs to be there."

I nodded, and Floo'd. As I was in the weird limbo between places, I thought about how scared I was for him and how worried I was. He needed to be okay.

Author's Note: So, there it is :) Someone wanted some drama, and, there you go! Is he okay? Is he too hurt for Sadie to heal? Dun dun dun... next update will probably be on Friday. Thanks for the reviews I got on the last one- but SoA I have no idea what you're talking about. Everyone, keep reviewing, and I'll do my best to keep updating quickly :) Thanks, and hope your weeks are going well!


	32. Chapter 32

He lay, stomach down, on top of the bed. I rushed to him, and ran my hands through his hair. "Harry." I said. Just seeing his chest rise and fall was a relief.

"Sadie." he groaned. "I hurt."

I ruffled my hands through his hair. "I'm going to try and fix you." I promised, my Healer instincts coming into play. "Hold on." Blood had soaked through his shirt in a couple places, so I moved to tear it off. It was mostly ripped anyways. He had a handful of deep gashes in his back, that were still bleeding. "Oh, love, what happened to you?"

"Hurt." he moaned, his jaw quivering. His whole body started to shake.

"Did you hit your head?" I asked, holding his arm steady.

"I don't think so."

I gave him some pain potion, and that chilled him out. He wasn't asleep, but he was pretty high. He floated on the edge of consciousness, as I examined the cuts. I needed to clean them before I could give him some potion to heal them up. I knew I should wait a few more minutes for the potion to reach its full effects because I didn't want to hurt him anymore than he already did as I cleaned. I took in the sight of him, broken, weak, and I was so worried about him. I felt tears rush to my eyes and as much as I wanted to stay strong, it was nearly impossible. The tears fell down my face and I started to cry.

"I'll be all right." he whispered. "Don't worry, Sadie."

I just rubbed his left shoulder, a rare, uninjured part of him. "I know." I told him. "Why don't you just go to sleep, huh?"

He drifted off, and by then I knew the pain potion had reached its maximum effect. I took out a clean cloth and started wiping blood and dirt off of him, and surveying all the damage that was done to him. Along with the deep gashes in his back, he has lots of little scratches on his front and what might have been burns on the side of his leg. I couldn't wait until he told me what had happened. This definitely required an explanation. The tears subsided, slowly, as I watched his chest rise and fall. His face looked peaceful. I couldn't give him any more of the potions that he needed until he was awake and had something to eat, so I took the bloody, ripped clothing and brought it downstairs to throw it away.

I hoped that Cor and Keith were okay, and the match was going well. As I was about to pull out the box of take-away menus from the pantry, there was a knock on the door. I wondered who it could be, and used the peephole. Molly stood at the door, looking nervous. I wished I could pretend I hadn't heard it and go upstairs and hide, but that wasn't an option. She had probably heard the clicking of my heels against the hardwood floors and she would just Floo to get in. I opened the door. "Hello." I said, opening the door all the way for her to come in. She carried a basket of what looked like potions and balms.

"Oh, Sadie, you're here." she said.

My hands were a little sweaty and my stomach turned again. Being around her made me nervous, especially since this time there weren't any kids to be the bumper between us. "Yes. His superior came and got me about forty minutes ago and I got here as quickly as I could."

"Ahh." she commented. "Ron just sent me a message and told me. The children are with Ginny at the match in Holyhead, so they're all taken care of. I thought I would just come and check on him."

"He's actually asleep at the moment." I told her. "I gave him some potion for his pain, and cleaned up the injuries, but to give him the potion that will heal him up, he needs to have some food in his stomach. So I'll just wait a few hours until he wakes up, to make sure that he just has the injuries I found, and give him a small meal and the potion he needs."

"I see." she said. Just standing in the foyer with their was nervewracking. "You weren't planning on coming over here dressed like that, were you?"

"Uhm, no, actually." I told her. "I had plans with my room mate, but I would rather be here with him, than have him sitting alone in St. Mungo's for the night."

"Of course." she said. "So what will you do while you wait for him to wake up?"

"Probably just order some take away for dinner and watch the telly." I told her. "I don't want to go too far."

"I can stay with him, if you'd like to get back to your roommate." I saw what she was doing here- she was trying to take over. For me. But I wouldn't let her tonight- I was going to maintain the power over this situation.

"I'm good, thank you." I told her. "I think a Healer should be with him at all times."

"Oh." she said. I didn't want to hurt her or upset her- but I wasn't going to let her make me go home.

"I mean, you can go see him, if you'd like, but please don't wake him. He needs all the energy he can get, it's going to be a long night healing up his muscles."

She nodded, and went upstairs. I went and looked at takeout menus, trying to decide what I felt like eating tonight. Indian sounded good, but I wanted some really bad junk food. I decided on a pizza.

Molly came back downstairs a few minutes later, after I'd hung up from calling the pizza place. "He's in quite rough shape."

I nodded. "Yeah, he is. I will probably go up and bandage those gashes soon. I just wanted them to air out after I cleaned them."

"Do you know what happened to him?" she asked.

"No idea." I told her. "He told me the other day that he might be taking a short trip for work this week, but told me he would tell me before he left and I never heard anything about it from him. But I don't think those are injuries that he could get from just sitting around in an office."

"No, they're most certainly not." she agreed. "What will you give him to eat when he wakes up?"

"Whatever he feels like." I told her. "He's been through enough, if he wants pizza, I'll give it to him. If he wants the chicken soup in the freezer, he can have that too. I just want something in his stomach for the long night"

"Would you like me to go make him something? I don't mind it, really."

"I think we're all set." I told her. "But thank you."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "Is there anything I can do?"

"I've got it under control." I announced. But I didn't want to completely exclud e her- putting her ouut wasn't my goal. "But if I need any help, can I call you?"

"Of course." she said, almost smiling. "The children will come back Sunday night, as I'm sure you know. But if he still isn't up for them, I can take them for a day ortwo. I will call tomorrow to check in on him."

"Okay." I said. She left shortly after and my pizza came. I sat on the couch and ate half of it. I turnedon the television and watched something mindless for a little while, before going upstairs to check on him. I bandaged up the wounds, putting a healing balm on the coutside. It wouldn't do much for these wounds, though, most of the healing here would be internal.

He stirred, but was still deep asleep. I pressed kisses into his neck, breathing in his scent and assuring myself he would be alright. I understood now why they wouldn't let Healers work on friends in the hospital. I opened the door to the balcony to let some air in for him, and went back downstairs. There was nothing on TV, but I had an idea of what do to. I opened the door to his office and turned on a light- I'd never been in here before. There was a desk along one wall, piled with papers and things. Another wall had a bookshelf, full of books that looked interesting- and dusty. He'd told me this was where the magazine article about his first wedding was, and I wanted to read it. I couldn't find it on the bookshelf, so I opened the closet. There was a box at the bottom, and I pulled that out. This looked like the right one- there was a cake topper at the top. I flipped on another light, and opened it more.

It was obvious the box hadn't been looked at in awhile, as there was lots of dust caked on the top. I pulled out the cake topper- it was a magical one, but the charm had worn off years ago. I was pretty sure they stopped moving when the marriage ended. It had frozen with Ginny's back to Harry, her arms crossed. What a sad thing to keep, I thought. Why hadn't he thrown it away?

It was full of mementos from their relationship. I picked up birth announcements for Jay and Al, beautiful, blue lace patterns with calligraphy. They were all hand made and exquisite.

I picked up a jewelery box- could this hold their wedding rings? My breath caught in my throat. I didn't know why these were so important, but they were. I opened the box slowly. On top was the diamond- and it was beautiful. It was an oval diamond, of respectable but not gaudy size, and had a few diamonds, framing it on each side. I picked it up- but it felt wrong to touch it. On the inside was an engraving- Forever.

I almost wanted to laugh, but that felt disrespectful. Seeing these things made me sad, because they had meant so much to him at the time. I picked up his ring too- the same word engraved into it. I realized the engravings were done in their handwriting. It was a nice touch. It was a two tone ring- gold and silver, and felt heavy in my hand. I placed them back in their boxes, and set them aside. Next came the wedding invitation, in gold and cream, very formal and perfect.

I sat on the floor in his office for awhile, looking through the picture album that came next. They looked so happy in those pictures- Ginny was a beautiful bride, and Harry looked so young. His face was free from any emotion other than glee, and free of wrinkles. He looked so lovely.

I heard the floor above me creak, and sprang on to my feet to go see what he was up to. By the time I got up the stairs, he was in the hallway, hobbling. "Stop moving!" I shouted, and bolted up the stairs.

He leaned against the railing, and stopped. When I got to him, I embraced him, holding him up from either side. "Hi, Sadie." he rasped, his voice dry and crackly.

"Hello." I whispered back, and held his head steady in my arms. "How do you feel?"

He shrugged. "I've been better, and I've been worse."

"Can we get you back in bed?" I asked. "I don't think you should be standing up right now."

"Can I go downstairs?" he rasped. "I don't want to stay locked up there for too long."

"You have to bear all your weight on me, okay?" I said, looking at him. "I don't care if you think it's too much."

"Mmhm." he said, and mostly did. I pulled the couch out into a bed, and propped him up there, on his side.

He was exhausted by then, so we laid down for a few minutes. "You scared me a lot." I told him, stroking his face.

"I'm sorry, Sadie." he rasped. I should get him a drink, I thought. "I've ruined this weekend and this week."

"Don't." I told him. "We just need to focus right now on getting you better. You're in for a rough night, you've really gotten yourself beat up."

He nodded.

"So here's what we'll do." I said. "I'm going to give you a more mild pain reliever, and let that soak in for a few minutes, then can we try and sit you up for you to eat something? And then we'll give that a while, so you can digest it a little, and give you some potion to regrow your muscles and give you some pain potion that will make you sleep."

"All right." he sighed.

"It will be a rough night. I imagine you'll be up for most of it, and I'll try to keep your pain under control as much as possible. But you need to tell me when you're in pain and where it hurts, okay?"

He just sighed, and nodded. "Yeah."

"What would you like for dinner?" I asked. "I've got half a pizza in the ice box left over, but I'll call take-away for you, or make you something if you've got it."

"No, pizza sounds nice. And I've got some firewhiskey in the cabinet, that would be nice..."

"Sorry." I said. "Alcohol and pain potion doesn't mix well. Butterbeer?"

He shook his head. "I'll just have water then, thanks Sadie." I gave him the mild pain potion, then went into he kitchen and heated up his pizza, and poured him some water. I brought it to him, and he had propped himself up. He ate ravenously, finishing the half of a pizza in about fifteen minutes, then he laid back and drank his water.

"That was good." he said, after he finished. He leaned forward, and I rubbed his shoulder.

"I'm glad." I murmured.

Author's Note: Sorry about the delay, everyone, school has been insane this week, and I've had hardly any time to write. I made the fall show, so my time will be short for awhile. But, I will continue to post as often as I can, which looks like it will probably be twice a week for awhile. Hope that's alright. I want to take the time and thank everyone who has reviewed lately- I really appreciate it. Keep reviewing, and I'll keep doing my best to pump out chapters!


	33. Chapter 33

"So, are you going to tell me what you were doing, that got you so beat up?" I asked him. 

"Why were you in my office?" he asked right back. I couldn't figure out what the tone he asked it in was- curiosity or anger.

"Uhm, just looking at your wedding stuff, like you offered I could last week." I told him.

"Next time you go through my stuff, please at least tell me. I do hide stuff I plan to give to you and like to keep them a secret, if you don't mind."

"That's fine." I said. "I'm sorry. I just wanted something to do. It was nice- you looked very happy."

"I was very happy." he told me. "It was one of the best days of my life."

That was surprising to me- though it shouldn't have been. "You'd do it over?"

He nodded. "I never have regretted getting married. I got three great kids out of it, and a really great relationship for about ten years. I regret letting it get out of hand, letting our anger get pent up and pulling us apart."

I rubbed his hand. "Makes sense."

"And even though a lot of the past few years really sucked, my kids and I have stuck together. We're good."

I nodded, and let a minute or so pass. "So what are you hiding for me in your office?" I asked.

He nearly smiled, but I could tell pain was coming back to him. "Nothing. And don't go looking for it." he said. "Seriously, Sadie."

I tried to figure out if he was kidding- but it didn't look like it. "Time for more pain potion?" I asked. He nodded, solemnly. "Do you want to be upstairs or downstairs?"

"Down here is fine." he said. "I don't feel like walking upstairs again."

"Okay. This is going to hurt."

He just nodded and looked tired. He swollowed the potion, and rested for awhile. He nodded off to sleep at some point, but I could tell he was uncomfortable. I wanted to take the pain away, but couldn't. I just held his hand and watched TV. I didn't feel like I should sleep so close to him, so I curled up in the chair next to him. He woke in the middle of the night, and I gave him something more for his pain. I knew he would be out for the rest of the night after that, so I just relaxed. Sleep came easily, as I was in a state of great relief. Knowing he was okay took a great weight off my shoulders.

As the sun began to rise, he started to get more and more awake. I made a breakfast early- just toast and eggs, as that was all he had in his fridge.

"Smells good." he called. I brought two plates of food into the living room, and we ate it, sitting up on the couch.

"How's your back?"

"Feels better." he murmured. "Still... hurts, a little. But better. It's sore."

"It will probably be sore for a few days."

He sighed. "How long?"

"Not sure. A good few. And today I hope to heal whatever's hurting your leg- that burn thing. What happened to you?"

"I got attacked." he said, like it was the simplest thing in the world. "I can't give you the specifics you want. I was out on a job assignment, and I was hurt. I'm not sure exactly what the wounds on my leg are from."

"Okay." I tried to soothe him. I got him more potion, cleaned his wounds, and brought him water. The wounds on his back were healing up nicely, but I knew that he wouldn't be himself for a number of days.

"Can I shower today at some point?" he asked.

"I'm not sure that would be the best idea." I told him. "To be honest- standing up that long, with all the hot water on your back doesn't seem like it would be good. But I know some charms that will clean you up without the water, and I can sponge you if you'd like."

He chuckled. "I'm fine."

We laid in bed for a few more hours, just snuggled together. "You scared me." I whispered to him. "A lot."

"I'm sorry." he said, not even opening his eyes. "I know, it's scary. But I'm fine."

"I know." I ran my fingers through his hair. "But still."

When we got up again, I wanted to run home to get some clothing. I had slept in the dress I was wearing last night, but I probably smelled weird now and wanted to just throw on some sweat pants.

I made sure he would be fine for a little while, and Floo'd home. The flat was completely quiet. Just walking I felt like I was disturbing someone. I saw a trail of clothing into Cor's bedroom- including a shirt and tie I recognized as belonging to Keith.

He was here. They were together.

I didn't know what to think- I didn't want to meet either of them awkwardly in the hallway right now so I grabbed my clothing and got out as quickly as I could. "Keith and Cor are together!" I told Harry as soon as I had changed into other clothing.

"Oh, that's good, right?" he asked.

I thought about it- I was happy for her, I had orchestrated the whole thing. But I felt a little strange about him staying over at the apartment. I had never had Harry stay over because I didn't want to make Cor feel awkward. But the happiness I felt for her mostly overpowered that. "Yes."

"Can I get up for the day?" he asked. "Or are you going to force me to stay in bed?"

"I think you can get up for a little while, but you've got to take it easy."

"I'd like to sit outside." he announced. "But can I at least put on a clean shirt first?"

I went upstairs and got clothing for him to put on, and helped him change. Finally, it was time for him to stand up. I had him bear all the weight he could on me, but we both struggled. He fell back on to the bed instead of on to me, and hissed in pain. I handed him a small vile of pain potion from my pocket.

"Thank you." he said. Picking up a pen from the table, I transfigured it into a cane. I couldn't support him, but he needed some.

"Ready to try again?" I asked, extending my arm. He sighed, and stood up, making it this time. I still held on to him tightly, not wanting him to stray or tip, but we made it to the table outside. "Good job, old man." I joked, taking his cane and resting it on the chair.

He didn't smile or laugh, just grunted.

"Not funny?" I asked, a little confused.

He shook his head, and I felt bad. I didn't think I'd hurt his feelings- that wasn't what I intended. I grabbed his hand and rubbed it, trying to comfort him. I knew he was probably just in a bad mood because he was sore. "No." he said.

"Sorry." I said. "I didn't mean it to be mean or anything... I was just trying to make you smile."

"I know." he sighed. "I'm sorry. I just... don't like feeling like a cripple and I don't like being reminded that I'm so much older than you."

"I'm sorry." I repeated. "Would you like more pain potion?"

He shrugged. I couldn't tell if he was in pain or just angry in general. "I'm fine."

"Do you want me to leave you alone for a little while?" I asked. "Take a shower or something?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

I got him the newspapers and some fruit and tea and went upstairs to take a shower. It felt good to get the grime off of me, and then I laid in his bed for a while. I was relieved that he was on the mend, and for the first time in eighteen hours, I felt like I could breathe. Worrying about him was so oppressive. My hands had stopped shaking in fear and I felt like I could rest. So I did, and napped for probably an hour.

I woke up on my own, and couldn't determine what had woken me up. But I got out of bed, feeling much better that I had gotten some extra sleep. I went downstairs, and saw him sitting where I'd left him. Molly sat at the table across from him, looking worried. She always caught me at a bad time- I was sure my hair was messed up, and I was wearing sweatpants. I sighed, Was it even worth worrying over anymore? I tried to let it go.

"Hello." I said, opening the sliding door to go outside.

"Hello." Molly said. "How are you?"

"Fine, thanks." I sat down next to Harry, moving his cane to rest on his chair. I handed him a vial of pain potion, because I knew his had worn off by now.

"Molly's just come over to see how I am." Harry said. I nodded.

"Is he going to be able to take care of the children tomorrow night, when they return from Ginny's?" she asked.

I looked at him and thought about it. He probably would be able to walk around tomorrow without a cane, and he definitely wouldn't be working this week. I wasn't so sure he'd be up to cooking and cleaning- but I did have Monday off. "I believe so." I told her. "I'll be around to help, and I think by Tuesday you should be up and around by yourself."

"You're sure?" she asked. "I don't mind taking Al and Lily, really. I'd be glad to."

"I think we're all set, but thanks Molly." Harry said. "I'll call you if I need any help."

"All right." she agreed. "If you're sure- believe me, I don't mind coming over and getting them at all. Really."

"Thank you." Harry said. She left a few minutes later, after making sure, again, that Harry would be okay. I was glad when she was gone, and it was just the two of us again. She put me on edge and made me question everything I did- but I was glad I had maintained power today. I felt stronger. "You didn't tell me that she had stopped by yesterday." he said, quietly, examining the finish on his chair.

"I'm sorry. I was a little preoccupied with making sure you didn't bleed out." I said, sarcastically.

He nodded. "I'm sorry I was in a bad mood earlier, Sadie. I really appreciate it." he reached out and touched my shoulder. His grip on me was as firm as he could make it and he wanted me to face him. I did, and saw that the vulnerability had returned to his face.

"It's all right. I know you're in a lot of pain. And you're frustrated with yourself. I should have been more understanding." he paused. "Do you think I can go back inside? I would really like to get back to the sofa bed."

I helped him up and into the sofa bed. He looked more comfortable after I gave him more pain potion and let it start working. I got him some chicken soup and settled in on the couch next to him. He was happier, I could tell. I wanted to get started on the wound on his leg, but it could wait. I really just wanted to be near him.

"I don't think I've thanked you enough this weekend, Sadie." he said, lacing his hands through mine. "I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been here."

"Been at St. Mungo's, alone." I told him. "And they probably would have knocked you out until you healed."

"Why didn't you?" he asked me, turning to look at me.

"Wasn't really necessary." I told him. "You handled the pain just fine, didn't you? And I didn't think you'd like being knocked out."

"No, I think it was the right decision." he told me. "I'm glad you're here with me. I'm sorry I've ruined your weekend."

"Don't worry." I told him. "I want to be here."

He put his arm around me and we stayed there for awhile. "I love you, Sadie. I don't think I tell you that enough."

I didn't think so either- he hadn't said it much since the first time he said it. It made me smile to hear it- because I really did love him, but I didn't want to make him uncomfortable by telling him. "I love you too."

"I'm sorry I ruined your weekend." he told me. "I had good plans for this weekend- we were going to go out to dinner tonight and get your tattoo and maybe look at some stuff in the Pensieve- I was excited for it."

"It's alright." I soothed him. "I promise. There's plenty of time for that sort of stuff."

He nodded. "I know. I just feel like I've been kind of a loser boyfriend lately."

If I examined it, he probably had been acting weird lately. But it all had reasons- and we were resolving them. "It's okay. I know that it's just a phase... Don't worry."

I spent most of the day just helping him out and keeping his pain controlled. I cleaned up around the house, and made some chicken for dinner. I just took care of him, basically, then laid on the couch with him and watched some movies on the telly. If anything, it meant a lot of time on the couch, snuggling with him, which I thought was amazing.

"Sadie." he said, it was probably eight o'clock, starting to get dark outside.

"Hmm?" There was no panic in his voice, nor pain- I wondered what he wanted.

"You can go get more clothing, you know. And maybe... you could leave it here?" he asked. "I've cleaned out a drawer, and I'd like you to have it."

I smiled- that was a nice thing. Moving in completely was something I refused to do right now- everything was still very new- but little steps like this were great. "Thank you." I told him. "I'll get clothing in a few minutes- I'll pop back to the flat for a few. Would you like me to get you some ice cream?"

He nodded. "I'm having an intense craving for something sweet, how did you know?"

"It's your potions." I told him. "They have a tendency to do that. I'll be back."

Author's Note: Well, here you go, another chapter. I wasn't impressed by the reviews for the last chapter either :( But that's okay, hopefully it will be better this time. Please, if you're reading this, let me know what you think . I feel like I'm starting to hit a road block in the story... what do you guys want to see? Does anyone have any good ideas? I mean, I know what is going to happen, but if there's anything, especially, that you'd like to see happen, I'd love to know. So, please please please, share some of your opinions and ideas, and I'll post another update either Friday or Saturday. Thanks!


	34. Chapter 34

I Floo'd into the flat, hoping that I wasn't interrupting anything between Keith and Cor. But I didn't- the flat was completely silent and empty. It was a little weird. All of the clothing that had been everywhere earlier was gone, and the silence was deafening.

I grabbed some clothing and stuff I might need. It looked like I would probably be there with Harry until Tuesday morning when I went to work- not that I minded. I grabbed my pillow, and shrunk it before putting it in my bag. Then I put on the glamor charms and went down to get some ice cream. The shop was brimming with people, it was a Saturday night, and it wasn't too cold yet. There were people everywhere, mostly recent Hogwarts graduates, just starting their lives. I went to the counter and ordered two sundaes, and left. Even though I didn't look like me, I appreciated the anonymity.

I apparated back to his house, found him exactly where I left him. We sat on the sofa bed and ate the ice cream quietly. It began to rain while we were there, so I went around and closed the windows. The rain gave a nice soundtrack as it beat against the windows.

We slept for a long time, mostly just him sleeping and me laying there. It got boring after awhile, but if I moved, he would wake up. Mid-morning, I made breakfast and got him up. He could walk better today, and I helped get him dressed. Andrew Pierce- the head of the Aurors, would be here mid-afternoon. His hair was a little dirty, but I knew a charm that would clean it pretty well. I pulled the couch back into itself and had him sit on that.

"What would you like me to do when he gets here?" I asked. "Would you like me to disappear upstairs?"

He shook his head. "I don't think that's necessary." he said. "I mean, unless Andrew asks you to leave the room, I'd like you here with me."

I was glad he wanted me here- that felt, somehow, like an official thing. It meant a lot to me. "Thank you."

"When I set this up with Andrew," he spoke slowly and delibritely. "He said that I could tell you what happened. To me. Because you're healing me and it should all be confidential."

I nodded- I was extremely curious as to what was going on, but a little scared at the same time. "All right." I said. "What happened."

He pulled himself up straighter, and curled his legs into him. "Well." he said. "A group has been making illegal potions, mostly hallucinatory stuff, like Muggle drugs, and selling it during Hogsmeade weekends at Hogwarts. Well, we were trying to track this down before Hogsmeade trips started up again in a few weeks, and we had a place nailed down to investigate as where they were possibly brewing, so we went to check it out- and it was the right place! But I got a potion thrown at me, and that's my leg, and curses thrown at me from the back. I was leading people in, so everyone else just got a few scrapes, luckily."

I had taken his hand in mine and was rubbing it softly. I hated that he was in danger like that- and getting paid for it. It seemed wrong to me- but I knew it was a very essential part of him. "Thank you for telling me." I said.

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm just glad we caught the punks."

"Yeah. Teddy never got involved in that, did he?"

He shook his head. "No, but I didn't want him to even have the option, you know?" he asked. "I mean, I know what it was like to be his age, and I want to remove that temptation. And now that Jay is old enough to go to Hogsmeade too- I just don't want my kids around that shite."

"No, I totally understand." I told him. "Wow- I can't believe he's old enough to go to Hogsmeade."

"I know." he groaned. "We'll probably go visit their first Hogsmeade trip, as it falls a week after Lily's birthday. And I think it's just before your birthday- right?"

I nodded. "Yes it is."

"So if you think of what you'd like to do for your birthday, tell me. I know it seems like it's far away but if you'd like to go to France or Spain, or, anywhere in the general vicinity, really, that takes a bit of planning."

"We can go somewhere?" I asked.

"Yeah- wherever you want." he said. "If you want to go back to the cottage for a few days, maybe, or go to France- have you ever been to Paris?"

I nodded. "That's where Nicholas proposed to me." I told him, and remembered the night- the walk through a park, seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up and twinkling, and the champagne.

"Ah, well, it's over rated anyways." he dismissed it. "But maybe Spain? Spain is still warm in October... could be a nice weekend away."

"I will think about it." I told him.

"Will you make some tea?" he asked. "I don't want to bother you, but..."

I stood up and straightened out my clothing- I was just wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, not exactly the nicest clothing. But it was a damp, rainy day, and I just wanted to be comfortable. I didn't need to impress his boss.

I put on the kettle and got out some cookies from the cabinet. I really should have gone grocery shopping at some point, there was hardly any food in the house. I would have to do that before the kids got home in a few hours.

I heard a knock on the door, and went to answer it. I knew it would be Andrew Pierce- and there he stood. He was much more casual today, a button down shirt and khakis replacing his green robes. He also looked less worried, which made me feel a lot better. "Hello." I said. "Come in."

"Thanks, Sadie." he said. He was obviously very comfortable here, calling me by my first name. But I didn't mind. I lead him into the living room, where Harry was drinking his tea. He moved to get up but Andrew told him not to, and sat in a chair across the coffee table.

"How are you?" Andrew asked.

"Fine." Harry said.

"Honestly, Harry." he said, giving him a stern look. "You went through hell on Friday."

"I'm feeling better than I was." Harry said, a little coldly. "Sadie's been good about keeping my pain managed."

Andrew turned to me. "How is he doing, from a medical standpoint?"

I thought about it- I hadn't really admitted it to myself yet. "He's on the mend. His back wounds are healing up nicely, though there's muscle damage there that may never go away... The wounds on his front were just superficial and are all healed now. I think I've got his leg healing, but I don't know what hit him, so that's been a little tricky to figure out, but it looks better today. And I think there's some muscle damage in his foot- a sprain, likely, but the muscle repairing potions I've got him on will fix that."

"You sound like you have everything under control." he said. "How long until a full recovery?"

A full recovery would probably never happen, with the intense muscle damage in his back. Having to think about how he would always hurt from this hurt me. "Well, a full recovery will probably never happen." I said. "The muscle damage in his shoulder is just too great... it will always be a little painful to do wide motion with it or to carry heavy things for a long time. But I think he should be able to return to work in a few days- when he's off pain potions and without the cane and the wounds are healed up. But I think it should be a few weeks before he should be out doing dangerous stuff..."

He nodded, and processed the information I was giving him. "I'll talk to you again next weekend, but the earliest you can return to work is next Monday." he said to Harry. "I don't want to chance anything. No working at home, either. Rest, relax, hang out with your kids and just enjoy some time off."

"Really, Andrew." Harry said. "I'm fine to go back."

"No, you're not." Andrew laughed. "Don't pretend- you need to rest and heal, so that's what you'd better do."

"Fine." Harry said, but I could see he was severely annoyed. I filled his cup of tea and let them talk a little, but Andrew didn't stay very long. He was gone within half an hour. "Thanks a lot." he called to me after I showed Andrew out.

"What?" I asked, not liking the bitter tone he said it in. I turned around, trying to figure out what his problem was.

"I am fine to return to work." he said. "You make it sound like I might die tomorrow."

"You are not all right." I told him. "You may feel better, but that's because you're hopped up on pain potions that's I've been feeding you every four hours. You're not ready to go back to work. Give it a few days- if I took you off pain potions right now- which I would have to if you returned to work for the government tomorrow- then you would faint in pain."

"Yeah right." he said. "You could have at least backed me up a little. I mean, you make it sound like I'm an elderly person who might kick the bucket tomorrow!" 

I knew he was being irrational and just so stupid and it was probably because of the pain that he was in. "Do you want another pain potion?" I asked, pulling the ever present bottle from my pocket.

"No!" he said. "Gods, I'm sick of you feeding me those. You're just trying to incapacitate me so you can keep me home!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, a rage filling me now. I tried to remind myself he wasn't acting like himself, he was being a lunatic and in pain. I walked out the door, into the rain. It was cold rain, and I had no idea where I was going, but I couldn't stand to be in the house anymore. I walked down the hill, and could see myself starting to get into a small village. I tried not to think about him being a jerk- suggesting I was taking advantage of taking care of him.

I walked into the grocery store, just to get out of the rain, but decided to do some shopping while I was there. I got comfort food, because that was what I was in the mood for- pasta and mashed potatoes and cookies... I tried to get some healthy foods, fruits and vegetables, too, but I wasn't sure exactly what to get. And I was very cold, from the rain that had soaked through my sweatshirt and into my skin. As I paid for the food, I wondered how I was going to get this back to his house. It was at least a twenty minute walk, and that was a long way up. And I had very nearly run out of money, so I couldn't find a cab.

I walked, and hated every moment of it. Every part of me was wet- the back of my neck, my toes, my stomach, and I hated it all. It felt like I was swimming, as I fought the rain to get back to his house. When finally, I could see the house lit up at the top of the hill from me, I was very glad. I hoped he had come to his senses in the past hour. I opened the door, so relieved to finally, finally be home. My jeans had absorbed my weight in water and I was about to swim away in them. Harry was still on the couch, but was talking to someone. It was a red- headed man, a Weasley, but I wasn't sure which one.

"Hi." I said, putting the bags down in the foyer. "I'm just going to change before I track water throughout the house." I didn't even wait for a response from them, I just ran upstairs. I took off my clothing in the shower, and immediately got under the hot water. It melted my frozen core away, and I felt much better half an hour later. I was thankful that he had me move some of my clothing here, now, as I put on sweatpants and a shirt. I hoped that whoever the Weasley was had left, and went downstairs. He sat on the sofa, alone, his legs stretched out.

"Hello." he said, as I came downstairs. I looked around, and was thankful we were now alone.

"Hey." I called back, picking up the groceries and bringing them into the kitchen. I heard him get up and hobble into the kitchen.

"I'm very sorry, Sadie." he said. "I was a complete arse to you."

I just nodded, as I put milk in the ice box.

"I was a huge arse to you, when you've been so great, so perfect the past few days. And I treated you like you should have just let me rot away in St. Mungo's." He reached out for me and I melted. I could practically hear the sadness dripping off his voice.

"Yeah, you did." I told him.

"And then you went food shopping?" he asked, his eyes wide. "You're too amazing, Sadie, really."

I didn't want to hear it right now. I hated being treated like crap then being lavished with compliment. "Treat me like it, then." I said, putting the pasta away.

He just nodded. "I haven't said thank you enough this weekend..." he told me. "And I'm sorry."

"Who was here?" I asked, after a minute or so pause.

"Bill." he told me. "One of Ginny's brothers. He just came over to check on me and invited us to a birthday party for his daughter, Dominuque. She's Al's age."

I really didn't want to go to a Weasley family party. The whole idea of it freaked me out, though I knew it would be inevitable at some point. I couldn't face all of those people at once. "Oh." I said. "When?"

"Next Saturday." he said. "But... I don't think..." he hesitated, and trailed off. I couldn't see what he was saying...

"What?" I asked.

"I'm not sure he invited you. I might not go." he blurted out, really quickly.

Oh. Even though I didn't want to go, I wanted it to be on my terms. "Fine."

He sighed, and raked his hand through his hair. "Sorry, Sadie. It's not really something I can control. I won't go, if it makes you happy."

It was my turn to sigh and turn away. "I don't want to be the girlfriend that keeps you from them... I don't want them to think that I'm the reason you're not there. Do whatever."

I went into the pantry to sort it out, and left him confused. I heard a knock on the door. "The kids are back."

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, everyone. It was a super crazy week in the life of me. But here it is :D Thanks for all your suggestions. Your main suggestions were for there to be more Al and Lily time and reconciliation with Teddy. Well, the next chapter is mainly devoted to Al and Lily, and in a few chapters is the Hogsmeade meeting for Lily's birthday, where they have to be at the same place at the same time :) Anyways... keep any suggestions, comments, criticism, ideas, and jokes coming! I love it all and it helps me work stuff out. Thanks so much, and hope everyone is having a good week.


	35. Chapter 35

He went and opened the door, but I hung back. I was a little hesitant of Ginny. Also, I looked bad, still, my sweatpants and shirt making me look like a slob. "Hello." Harry said, opening the door for them to come in. It was still raining outside, and I felt bad that they had started to get wet.

"Papa!" Lily said, and flung herself at his legs. I put my hand on his back to steady him. "You're okay."

"Yes," he sighed. "I'm fine, Lily."

She was almost hysterical, clinging to him so tight. Al hung back, looking weary of the whole situation, but also relieved. I could tell he was exhausted, his hair stuck up in odd angles from running his hands through it and his eyes were a little swollen. "I was worried."

"Don't." he assured her. Al stepped forward and hugged him too. As soon as they were done, Harry turned to me. "Can you take them upstairs? I need to talk to Ginny. I'll come up when we're done."

I nodded, and tried to pry Lily off Harry. He nudged her to go with me, and I picked her up. I felt weird, being affectionate to their children in front of Ginny. I didn't want her to judge me with her kids.

Al followed me up the stairs, and we went to their rooms. Al went into his room, and I took Lily into her's. She looked like she might cry, so I set her down on her little bed and sat next to her.

"Is Papa going to be okay?" she asked, looking up to me with her big dark eyes.

"Yes, Lily." I told her.

"Promise?"

I nodded again.

"You can heal anyone, can't you?" she asked. Her eyes were wide and innocent, but I could see fear in them.

"I always do my best." I said, rubbing her shoulder. "And I promise- he will be fine. He just needs a few days to relax and rest and he will be back to normal."

She wiped her nose and nodded. "Okay." she said. "I think you should go tell Al that." she nodded. "He's worried."

I wrapped my arm around her and squeezed her tightly, she leaned upon me. "All right." I said. "I will, then."

I got up, and padded down the hall. I knocked on Al's door- I had never been in here before. There was no response. "Al- it's Sadie. Can I come in?"

I heard some sort of noise- but couldn't discern it. It didn't sound like a no, though, so I decided to go in. He lay on his bed, looking out his window, tears rolling down his eyes. "Oh, Al." I sighed, rushing to be near him. He was so upset, I could tell, and I just wanted to take that pain away. I put my arm around him.

"She just said he got hurt." he said, his voice cracking in the middle somewhere. "She wouldn't let us just see him to make sure he was all right. It was terrible." He was angry at Ginny. I tried to rub his back and soothe him. He leaned his head against me.

"She just didn't want you to see him when he was in rough shape." I told him. "She didn't want to scare you."

"That wasn't it." he said. I dug around in my pocket and handed him a handkerchief, and he wiped his face. "What if he dies, Sadie?"

I looked at him, his green eyes so full of pain and innocence... "He's not going to, Al." I told him. "I promise. He'll be fine by Tuesday or Wednesday."

"Not this time- of course he'll be fine now. What if he gets killed and we're stuck with her all the time?"

I felt a hard pain in my stomach that he was talking about his mother like that. "You can't talk like that, Al." I told him. "She is your mum."

"You have to say that." he said, sniffling. "But it's true."

"I think you need to talk to your father." I said. "You need to tell him about how you feel."

He just kept sniffling, and sort of nodded, non committal.

"I'm going to go get him, okay?" I asked. He just nodded again, and I got up. I was weary, but went downstairs. Ginny sat on the arm of one of the chairs, resting against it, as Harry talked. I came downstairs, nervous in her presence. He looked up at me as I got closer.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I think you need to go talk to Al." I said, quietly. I could feel Ginny's stare on me.

"Is everything okay?" he asked again, smushing his face up.

I nodded. "Yeah. I can help you up the stairs- as long as you're done?"

"I should be going anyways." Ginny said. "Feel better."

She showed herself out as I helped him up the stairs. "What's wrong with him?" he asked.

"He's just upset about you being hurt and angry with Ginny." I told him. "I think he had a rough weekend."

He just nodded. "Alright. You get Lily and take her downstairs- order takeaway." 

"What kind?" I asked.

"What ever she feels like." he said, and turned into Al's room. I went into her room and went downstairs with her.

"What do you feel like for dinner?" I asked, pulling out the take away menus from the pantry.

"Hmm..." she said. "Chocolate."

"Chocolate." I repeated, thinking about this. "Well, that's a dessert, isn't it? What do you want before the chocolate?" I flipped through the menu. "Pizza? Sandwiches? Indian?" 

"I don't like Indian." she said.

"Fish and chips?" I asked, hoping something would sound good to her. "Or maybe some-"

"Fish and chips." she said. I called them up and ordered a feast. It was a ridiculous amount of food, really. Then we went into the living room and waited for the food to get here. We just watched the telly, and Lily seemed absorbed into whatever she was watching. I hoped Al was okay.

It only took about twenty minutes for the food to get there, and it smelled delicious. I paid for it and took it into the kitchen, putting it onto plates. I could hear the floorboards on the stairs squeaking.

"Dinner smells good." Harry said, coming into the kitchen. "Fish and chips? Good choice, Lils." She smiled, and I handed her plate to her. She took it to the dining room table, but Harry stopped her. "You can eat in the living room."

Al looked a little better, though I could tel that he had been crying more. Harry gave him his food and he went into the living room as well. "Everything better?" I asked.

"Relatively." he said. "I mean... I'm not sure. Better than they were, I believe."

I just nodded, and brought our food into the living room. It was delicious- Lily had made a good choice. We put on a kid friendly movie and watched it, just killing time. Lily was partly in my lap as she gazed at the telly, an elbow sticking in my ribs. I didn't have the heart to ask her to move, and eventually she fell asleep on me. Harry was next to her, his arm around my shoulder. And Al was next to him, his eyes heavy as well.

"Time for bed?" Harry asked Al, nudging him. It was nearly nine o'clock, and still raining. I was sick of this terrible rain. It was so dreary.

"Okay." he said. I carried Lily upstairs and got her into her pajamas and put her in bed, because Harry couldn't do it. He supervised Al's getting ready for bed, though. I joined in as he almost turned out the lights.

"Good night, Al." I called.

"Are you sleeping over, Sadie?" he asked. I looked to Harry- the sliver of light from the hall illuminated him. He nodded, pressing his fingers into his temple.

"Yeah, I will." I said. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Night." he sighed. Harry shut the door, and we went into the hallway. He looked tired, and weary.

"Do you want to go back downstairs?" I asked him. "Or are you good up here?"

"Good, here, I believe." he said. "But, if you wouldn't mind just doing a final sweep of downstairs, shut off the light..."

"Of course." I said. I went downstairs, wiped up the counters and tidied up the living room. After turning off all the lights, I went upstairs. He lay in bed, reading something. I would have to help him shower tomorrow, he was getting gross. I took off my sweatpants and crawled into bed next to him. "Hello." I said, grabbing his arm.

"'Lo, Gorgeous." he sighed, kissing my head. "Thank you for everything."

"Stop thanking me." I told him. "I'm sick of hearing it."

"You were so good with them today."

I sat back a little, and looked him in the eyes. "I do love them." I said. "I know it's soon and all, but they're just so... lovely." I sighed.

"Thank you." he said.

"I think I'm going to write to Teddy." I announced.

"Yeah?" he asked.

I nodded. He went into his bedside table and pulled out a piece of parchment, and handed it to me. "I'll write it- and will you read it afterwards?"

"Yeah, of course."he said. Hewent back to reading, and I started to put my pen to the paper, scratching out words that I thought might fix the situation...

He picked it up, and read it, nodding at me. "Looks good to me. I'll send it off with the post in the morning."

"Thank you ."

We went to sleep not long after that, but did not sleep well for too long. I was awoken with a start by the crash of thunder. I jumped at the loud, sudden noise that took sleep away from me.

After I caught my breath, I turned to him. He lay back on his pillow, staring up at me and blinked. "You're awake." he said.

"Yeah."

"I've been awake for twenty minutes listening to a storm. To be honest, I'm surprised that Lily hasn't been woken up yet. She hates thunder."

About a minute later, there was the soft pad of small feet and the bedroom door creaked open. "Papa!" Lily called, trying to whisper. "You awake?" Her voice was worried.

"Yeah." he said.

"Can I come in here with you?" she asked, and I could tell she was upset. I nodded at him. "Yeah, sure." he said. She came around to his side of the bed and waited till he picked her up and put her between us. Her eyes were teared up and on the verge of spilling over. She settled in between us, and buried her head.

"It's okay, Lils." Harry announced, stroking her hair back. "The storm will be over soon." There was a flood of bright light- then another large crash. I thought she might cry.

I grabbed her hand myself and stroked it, wanting her to stop whimpering. I wanted her to be okay, and remembered how much I hated thunderstorms when I was little. I felt myself drifting off, because the storm didn't bother me anymore. I tried to stay awake, but the storm was fading, and it was easy to succumb.

I woke up a few hours later, when the sun had already risen. Lily was in between us, an elbow lodged in my side, but I didn't mind. I could hear Al snoring on the floor at the end of the bed- he must have gotten scared as well. I looked over to Harry, who was awake. He untangled himself from Lily, and got up. I took that as a sign I should too, and carefully moved out from under Lily. I quietly stepped around Al, and we met at the door.

He was walking better today, which pleased me. I still held his arm as we went downstairs, though. "Good morning." he said to me, kissing me on the lips.

"Morning." I grinned. I was glad that it was sunny out, after so many days of rain. We went into the kitchen and I put the kettle on for some tea.

"I'm not making Al go to school today." he announced, sitting on a stool. "He can stay home... just spend some time with us."

"Do you want me to leave?" I asked. "So you can spend time with your kids alone?"

He shook his head. "I don't think I can handle them by myself quite yet." he admitted. "Tomorrow, it will just be Lily and I, though, and I think I can do that."

"Tomorrow I start my new position." I told him. "So I work eight to six."

"Oh, wow." he said. "I'm sorry- I forgot. We should have celebrated."

I was a little hurt that he forgot, but tried to swallow it. He'd been busy too. I just nodded. "Maybe next weekend, like you said."

"Yeah, definitely." he said.

He drank his tea and I had my coffee sitting on the couch. I pulled out the letter I had written to Teddy and read it again.

_Dear Teddy, _

_This letter is really hard for me to write. I'm sure it's hard for you to read, but we cannot do this forever. At some point, we have to reach a compromise. _

_I know you think that Harry doesn't need me, but he does. This weekend, he was hurt on assignment, and I came and took care of him. If I hadn't, he would still be locked in a ward at St. Mungo's, sedated. This might not seem like that big of a deal, but because I am here, Al and Lily got to stay home instead of having to stay with Molly or Ginny. _

_I understand that you are afraid that we might break up and he will become depressed again. I understand that fear, because you did so much to help out last time. However, he has been through it already. People are watching out for him and will recognize the symptoms faster. I promise, what happened before will not happen again. _

_I really want to make things right with you. You mean a lot to Harry, and I know that your lack of approval over our relationship is hurting him a lot. I look at you and I see such a great person. You are smart, talented, and have a lot of potential. You also put your family first- which is a very admirable trait. I hope that you will see that I am not trying to take over anyone's roll or make anyone upset. I want what is best for your family, just like you do. And I hope that we can start over. _

_Sadie. _

I sealed the letter, and sent it off with an owl, hoping I was doing the right thing.

Author's Note: Only three reviews? That made me sad, and I kind of didn't want to post. But I am. Hopefully I will get more feedback on this chapter. I did everything you wanted me too- more time with the kids and a step towards peace with Teddy. Let me know what you think, dear readers, please! Anyways, to the people who are reviewing, thank you so much, you're amazing :) Next update will probably be Friday or Saturday morning.


	36. Chapter 36

The day was nice, despite it still being rainy. Al was thrilled that he didn't have to go to school- and the kids slept until almost ten o'clock.

I helped Harry shower and applied more medicine to the wounds. They were almost healed. A very long weekend was finally drawing to a close, and I almost couldn't wait to get to work tomorrow. I wanted to talk to Cor and find out what had happened. I was almost surprised she hadn't come to find me.

Harry even convinced me to stay over again, for the fourth night in a row. It was nice, that he wanted me here, but I was starting to miss my own bed.

I woke up to him bringing me breakfast- just coffee and toast and fruit, to eat in bed before the work day started. Then I showered and dressed and got ready. I did my hair extra nice, wanting to make a good impression on my first day.

Finally, I picked up the silver sash that tied around my waist and let people know I was a Head Healer. Harry took it out of my hands and fastened it around me, tying it tightly. I looked in the mirror and admired it, feeling a swell of pride.

"Go show 'em what you've got." he murmured, resting his chin on my shoulder.

"I will." I said, a smile spreading across my face.

"And then come back here." he said.

"We'll see." I said. "I'll send you a message."

He nodded. "All right."

I bit my lip. "No word from Teddy yet." I said.

"It's fine." he assured me. "He is probably just thinking. I'm sure, that's what it is. Give him a day or two."

I nodded, and got a kiss from him before Flooing to work. Once I clocked in, it was a whirlwind few hours. Making schedules, finding replacements for sick employees, checking in with my healers, assigning patients, checking up on patients... it all kept me really busy. I barely even had time to eat lunch.

I knew Cor wasn't working, so it was no use looking on the other side of the ward for her. She was working the night shift. And Keith had taken some time off between job positions, as was common. Looking at the schedule book, it only looked like a few weeks, though, three at most. Most Healers took a few months, up to a year for the women who had children during their time off. That would probably be me in about two years.

Brynne came over during a slow time and checked up on me. It was her second week in her new position, and she was pleased. She hadn't taken any time off between being a Head Healer and an Executive one. I appreciated the fact she came to see me, though, and even called me by my first name. A trait I'd been assured was really, very rare and I should take it with great pride.

The day went on, passing quickly. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, the sense of freedom, especially. But at six o'clock, I was ready to leave. I clocked out with pride, and made it back to the flat.

Cor was sitting at the table, drinking a glass of juice. "Well?" I asked, coming inside and taking off my travelling cloak.

"Long time no see, stranger." she said.

"I'll get to that in a second. What happened Friday night?"

She smiled, slyly, to herself. "It went well." she said. "Really, really well."

"Yeah?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"And he stayed over?"

"How'd you know?"

"I came back for clothing on Saturday and saw that he was here."

"Oh." she blushed. "Yeah. We were together... pretty much all weekend."

"Yeah?"

She nodded. "I hope it works out." she said. "I..." she hesitated, and I could tell there was more she wanted to say.

"You...?" I asked.

"I... he's a little clingy." she said, looking apologetic. I sighed- she hated clingy. She wanted to be able to live her life without a constant shadow. "All weekend. Do you want to go here for dinner? Do you want to go for a walk to the park? Do you want to come visit my flat? Do you wanna, do you wanna, do you wanna..."

"Maybe it's just a new thing." I supposed, hoping this would work out. "He's just excited about how well your dates went."

"I hope so."

"When do you have plans together?" I asked.

"Breakfast in the morning." she replied, picking at a nail.

"Well, maybe things will be better then." I said.

She nodded. "I hope so." she stood up and straightened herself. It was time for her to go to work. I said good bye to her, and changed. I sent Harry a message and said I would come over.

"Hello." I said, coming into the house. It was pretty quiet, I could hear a TV on in the living room, so I went in there. Harry was on the couch with Lily. Lily was nearly asleep, it was almost seven. And Al sat in the opposite corner of the room, nose in a book.

"Hello." Harry said softly. He looked exhausted, which was to be expected. I'm sure it was a long day for him.

Lily murmured a greeting, and I could tell Al could care less about what was going on outside the pages of his book. I sat down next to him, and we finished the last few minutes of the television show. Then, he nudged Lily. "It's time to get ready for bed." he said.

She nodded and stood up, walking up the stairs. He turned to me. "I'm going to go help her." he said. "Have you eaten?"

I shook my head. "I was just about to ask if you had anything I could eat." I admitted.

"There's leftover pizza or a casserole from Molly." he said. "They're both in the ice box. Come up when you're done." 

I went to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water and slice of pizza. I ate the pizza, cold, on my way upstairs. He had already tucked Lily in. "How do you feel today?" I asked, sitting down next to him, and leaning up to kiss him.

He indulged me, then leaned back. "I'm sore." he admitted. "I mean, I took the potions you left for me how you said I should take them, but I still feel like I've been run over."

"Your muscles have had a great deal of damage done to them." I said, rubbing his back. "You will probably be in pain for a few weeks, it will get less over time."

"I could definitely not be at work through this. Thank you, Sadie." he nuzzled me.

"You're welcome."

"How was your first day of work as a Head Healer?" he asked.

I nodded. "Good. Long. Exhausting." I spat out.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I liked it more than I thought I would. I have a feeling I'll be knocking off my two days as a normal Healer soon and being a full-time Head Healer."

"I bet you're good at it." he said.

I just shrugged. I could probably fall asleep here. I yawned. "Do you think I should write Jay?" I asked.

"Why?"

"Because I wrote Teddy."

"It's not a bad idea." he said. He reached around for some parchment, and I started writing.

_Dear Jay, _

_How's school going? I know it's only the second week, but I hope it's going well for you. Have you had try outs yet? I'm sure you made the team again, you're such a good player. When is the first Hogsmeade trip? I always thought it was exciting to get to go into Hogsmeade. _

_Everything is fine at home. I've just been helping your father get back on his feet after his accident at work last week. He's going to be fine, if I can convince him to rest. You know how he is. _

_I sent Teddy a letter like you suggested. So far no response from him, but your father says he is probably just thinking about what he has to say. _

_Anyways, I just thought I would send you a letter and say hello. I hope everything is good. _

_Sadie. _

I didn't stay over, because I wanted to get a good night's sleep in my own bed. I spent some quality time with Sam, and went to bed early. Taking care of him had been like working all weekend, so I didn't feel relaxed like I usually did in the beginning of the week.

I got a letter from Jay the next day, and it had made me smile.

_Dear Sadie, _

_School is good. It's great to be back with all my friends. Classes are going well so far, and I think my favorite this year is Defense. Tryouts were on Saturday morning, and I made the team again! The first game will be on October 30th. _

_Hogsmeade trips start October 9th, and Pa mentioned you all would probably come visit us. Lily's birthday is the week before and he said yours is at the end of October, so I think it's to celebrate birthdays. _

_I'm glad you could help him, and I'm glad he's getting better. I know how he is, but hopefully he is listening to you. _

_I made sure Teddy has received your letter, but I don't know how much of it he has read. He's being really stubborn, but I've been trying to help out your case with him. You'll get through eventually. I'm glad you wrote and I hope you are good. _

_Jay. _

Jay's Point of View:

I held the letter in my hand from Sadie, and smiled slightly as I read it. I was glad she had written to Teddy and happy she wrote to me. It was taking me awhile, but I was getting kind of fond of her.

I was a little angry Teddy hadn't responded to it. She was trying, and he was being an arse.

I knew where to find him, coming back from Care of Magical Creatures as I headed to the greenhouse for Herbology. I saw him coming up with some of his mates. His hair was bright blue today, and he was happy. He nodded as he saw me coming, and I waved him over.

"Hey, Jay!" he called, stopping. "What's up?"

"Can we talk?" I asked. This was going to be hard, I knew. He scrunched up his face in confusion, and nodded. He waved his friends on.

"What's the matter?" he asked, beginning to look concerned.

"Sadie wrote you?" I asked, though I knew what the answer was.

"Yeah." he said. "How'd you know?"

"I've talked to her." I said, gauging his reaction. I couldn't discern it, but the bright blue was starting to turn purple.

Anyone who knew Teddy knew that was not a good sign. "Oh." he said, rubbing his chin.

"Are you going to write her back?" I asked. I was trying to play innocent in the whole situation, but that wasn't working out so well.

He shrugged. "Possibly."

"She's trying, Ted." I begged.

"Oh." he said, really quickly. Something in him had shifted and he was angry now. "So you're on her side, now? Did she send you here to snoop on me?"

"No!" I said, getting closer to him. "I'm just trying to get some peace in the family. The first time in years it looks like we might be edging closer to a normal family unit and you want to get rid of her. I don't care what you think, she's good for him- and at this point, you're just being an arse!" I shouted.

"Boys?" Professor Longbottom- Neville, really, to us, came up behind us. "Everything all right?" he looked to each of us and saw my clenched fists and Teddy's dark indigo hair.

"Fine." Teddy bit, and walked away.

Neville looked to me. "You sure?"

I didn't want to start anything or for anything to get back to Pa, so I nodded. "Yeah, of course." I said. "Just stupid stuff..."

He nodded back, and I followed him to class.

Time passed weird, the late half of September. I'd let Harry go to the birthday party for Dominique without any conflict. I decided it wasn't worth it. But I knew I would soon have to face them for Lily's birthday. We fell into a great rhythm, I thought. I would stay at his house during the weekends, and usually Monday and Friday as well, as stay at the flat during the work week.

And Cor and Keith had remained together. I'm not sure if they worked out their clinging issues or what, but they seemed happy when I saw them. And she spent most of her time at his flat, which she told me made ours look trashy.

I was sure it did.

I was just pretty happy, right now. Teddy had never written back, but Jay and I had exchanged a few letters. He was good to have as a pen pal. Letters would always be returned to me within a day, almost like he was excited to get my letters.

I helped Harry plan Lily's birthday party, as well. Her actual birthday would be spent at home, a dinner of her favorite foods, with just Harry and Al and she wanted me to be there. I was hesitant to go in on that, because I sort of thought it should have been just them. But all three of them insisted so I obliged.

And in a way, I was really pleased she had invited me. I never wondered where I stood with Lily. Or Al, for that matter. Al had always made it clear that he liked me. And for them, I was grateful.

But I was really looking forward to her family birthday party, in a way. It would give me a chance to show myself off in front of the Weasley family. We were "out" enough now that I could be on Harry's arm for the party and get to take some credit for planning it. I would show them that I wasn't going anywhere.

Author's Note: Thanks for all the super nice reviews, everyone. They were awesome and made me smile. So, what'd you think of this chapter? Got to see a little bit inside Jay's head, a little more stuff with the kids like you wanted. Anyways, let me know what you think! I have some time off from school in the next two weeks and will hopefully be updating a little more frequently for the time being. But please, keep reviewing. I appreciate all the support so much


	37. Chapter 37

The actual day of Lily's birthday was uneventful. I went over after work, which was a good compromise. They got to eat dinner just as their small family unit, and I was able to join them for cake and presents.

I came through the door, after a long and stressful day. "Sadie!" Lily said, running as I came in the door.

"Hello." I said, hugging her tightly. She was in her favorite dress, a purple one with white pocka-dots and a white sash. "Happy birthday!"

"Thank you." she said, and grabbed my hand, pulling me into the kitchen.

"How's your birthday been so far? What's it like to be four?"

She just smiled. "Good." she said.

Harry stood in the kitchen, putting the candles in a cake. He kissed my cheek.

"Papa, can I show Sadie my presents?" she asked.

"After our cake, love." he said, patiently. Al hovered around too. "You do have one more present to open."

She smiled and I helped her back to the dining room table. Harry brought the cake in for her and we sang to her, wishing her a good birthday. She blew out her candles, and we ate the cake. It was chocolate, of course, with white icing.

Then it was time for me to give her my gift, so we went in the living room, on the couch. We didn't have to pull it out because we all fit on it, this time. I handed her my present, that Harry had helped pick out the week before.

She took the paper off of it, and took out the pots of paint. "Wow- more paint?" she asked. "Thank you, Sadie."

"There's more in the bag." I told her, nudging her playfully.

She dove back into the large gift bag, it was half as big as she was. I waited for her to pull out the dress I had picked out for her. I picked the dress out all by myself- only getting Harry's approval. It was a beautiful, rich shade of cranberry that did not class with her hair. I thought it would look really cute on her. "I love it!" She said. "Papa, can I wear this to my party?"

He nodded. "That's a great idea, Lily." he said. It warmed me up on the inside to think she liked it enough to wear to her party.

"Thank you, Sadie." she said. I leaned in and hugged her. "Oh, I have to tell you why I am thankful for you. I am thankful that we met you." she smiled. I hugged her tighter, wanting to tell her how much I loved her. She was such an amazing little girl.

Soon it was time for her to go to bed, so we said good night, and I hung out with Al downstairs.

"I brought you something." I told him, summoning my bag.

"It's Lily's birthday." he said.

"I know." I pulled out a coloring book and brand new pack of crayons. "Lily might be the artist in the family, but you should be able to color if you want."

"You remembered?" he asked, his eyes wide in surprise. Of course, I remembered. The first night I had met him, the first night I had met Harry, he had colored and talked about how Jay said he was too old to color. Well, Jay was now plenty far away and he deserved a little freedom.

I nodded. "Yeah."

He grinned, and I could see how happy he was radiating off him. "Sadie, you're the best."

I just laughed. "You're not so bad yourself." I told him, joking.

He smiled. "You should move in with us." he said. "That would be so cool."

"Oh, Al." I sighed. "It would be cool, but not yet."

"Why not?" he asked. "You're here all the time anyways."

"I know. But there's the whole situation with Teddy that I want to get fixed, and I haven't really been going out with your father for that long..."

"I feel like you have." he admitted.

"I will move in eventually, Al." I said. "But some things need to be sorted out first... Plus I know you guys need time with your father alone sometimes, so I like the way things are now. How I'm here part of the week and at my flat for the rest of it."

He nodded. Harry came downstairs from putting her to bed, and looked a little tired. He started cleaning up, and I got up and helped him. Al went upstairs, and took the coloring book I'd given him with him.

"Ready for Saturday?" he asked. The party was Saturday, only two days away, now.

"I think so." I said, but really, I was nervous. It was the first time I would be around the whole Weasley family now that we were 'out' to them. "I'm nervous, but how bad could it possibly be?"

"You're right." he said. "Everyone will be on their best behavior. And they're nice people, really."

I nodded. "What time would you like me here Saturday?"

"Come Friday night." he said. "Ginny's taking the kids for Friday night to celebrate with Lily, and we can spend some quality time together before I feed you to the sharks- I mean, the Weasleys come."

We both laughed and I shoved him. "Sure." I said, smiling.

"And I need you to figure out where you want to go for your birthday, because I need to get that sorted out." he said. "I mean, I know where I'd like to take you, but if there's somewhere you want to go, I'm all for it."

"Where do you want to take me?" I asked.

"It's a surprise." he smirked. Bugger.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because it's fun that way. Anyways, then I've decided. We're going to the surprise location. You're going to have a great time."

"What do I pack, then?" I asked. "How will I know what to bring?"

He just smiled. "We'll figure it out." he teased.

"Oh?" I asked.

"Or I could just pack everything for you."

"How would you know what to pack?" I asked.

"If you'll remember, I was married for ten years." he said.

"Fair enough." I said. "And my mother will have a birthday dinner for me on my actual birthday. So we will have to go to that."

"What day of the week is your birthday on, a Thursday?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'll have Al and Lily..." he said. "So..."

"They can come." I told him. "I would like that."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "Your mum wouldn't mind?"

"No. She loves kids." I said. "Please, if it doesn't make them uncomfortable, please bring them."

I leaned my head against his shoulder and just laughed. "All right." I said. "I'm quite exhausted. I'm going home now, but I'll be back tomorrow night."

We kissed, and went our separate ways.

We spent Friday night together, and I continued to try and find out where we were going for my birthday. He wasn't budging and I knew it was useless, but it was still fun.

Saturday morning we got up bright and early. Thankfully, it was still a little warm out and people would be able to go outside once Harry set up some warming charms.

I was working on the inside, putting up streamers and a Happy Birthday Lily banner. It was only ten o'clock, and a little chilly, so I was still wearing sweatpants.

There was a knock on the door, and Harry came in to open it. On the other side of the door, Ginny stood.

There were no kids by her side, so I was a little nervous. Was something wrong with Lily?

"Come in." Harry said, moving aside and letting her come in. "What's the matter?"

"Can I talk to Sadie?" she asked. She didn't sound angry or annoyed, just weary.

He looked between us, and wanted to know what I thought. I just nodded. "Okay."

"Upstairs?" she asked.

I went upstairs quietly, and she followed me. I knew the bedroom was a mess, we hadn't bothered to make the bed, and I knew our clothing was everywhere. I sent a charm for it to clean that stuff up.

"It's fine." she said. There was something wrong with her, I could tell. "You're a Healer, right?""

I nodded. "Yes..." I said. "I'm a pediatric Healer."

"Can you heal adults?"

"To a degree." I said. "Why?"

"I'm miscarrying." she said.

"Oh." this suddenly meant a lot more to me. "I'm so sorry."

She wouldn't meet my eyes and shook her head. "I've been through it enough, but it never stops hurting." she said. I could see so much raw emotion in her, it was strange. It brought a lot of emotion into me as well.

"No, I'm sure it doesn't."

"The only thing is, the party starts in two hours and I don't have time to see my Healer and I don't want to miss the party, it's Lily's day, so I was wondering if you could do anything?"

I nodded. "Yeah, of course. I'll go get some pain medicine, and a blood replenishing, and maybe Pepper Up potions from my flat. Just give me five minutes."

She nodded. I Floo'd home from the fireplace in his bedroom and immediately picked up my bag of potions and Floo'd back. She sat where I left her.

"How far along were you?" I asked.

"Eight weeks, three days." she said. "It's usually when I miscarry... sometime between eight and nine weeks."

That was actually pretty late in the pregnancy to miscarry, so I felt bad. I knew how terrible it was to lose a pregnancy at four weeks, I couldn't imagine eight weeks. I handed her the pain potion and told her to take half and save the other half for later. Then the blood replenishing potion, and finally two vials of Pepper Up potion.

"How do you feel now?" I asked, after I'd given the Pepper Up a few minutes to work. I could see the color return to her face, which meant something was working.

"I'm sorry I had to come bother you." she said. "But I really appreciate it."

I nodded. "Yeah, don't worry about it." I said. "Please, it's totally fine."

"And, please don't tell anyone about this." she said. "I didn't even tell Dean, because he takes it way too hard..."

"Your secret's safe with me." I told her.

"Thank you." she said, and I could tell she was honestly, very grateful. I nodded. "I'll make sure my family isn't too hard on you today."

"Thanks."

We walked downstairs, so she could leave and come back when the party started. "I'll see you later." she said, and I shut the door behind her.

Harry came in as soon as she was gone. "What was that about?" he asked.

"Long story." I said, dismissing his concern. "Everything is fine. Don't worry about it."

"No, seriously?" he asked.

"No. I told her I wouldn't tell anyone and I won't. Everything's going to be fine."

He shrugged, and let it go. I went upstairs, washed my hair quickly, and put on my dress. About an hour later, Hannah showed up with food and I helped her set it up.

"Long time, no see, stranger." she said, laughing at me. "How have you been?"

"Great." I told her, as I helped her set out plates. "Got promoted at work... How have you been?"

"Fine, fine." she said. "Everything's good with you and Harry?"

I nodded. "Everything's going wonderfully." I said. "Yeah."

"Good. I'm glad. Stop by the Leaky sometime, you haven't been by in ages."

"I know." I said. "Because once I got promoted, I now work normal people hours and have energy to make food. And it's a bit harder for me to go out in public, now, you know."

"True, true. Well come over for dinner or something, at least. Doesn't have to be out in the pub."

"I will." I said.

"How have your parents been?"

"Really good." I updated her. "You know. Just enjoying themselves."

I was running around, doing last minute clean up stuff when the kids got there. Lily came in first, wearing the dress that I had bought her. It looked really nice on her, I thought. "Hi, Sadie." she said.

"Hello, Lily." I said. "I like your dress."

She just smiled. "Will you plait my hair?"

"Of course." I told her, having her sit on the couch. I said hello to Al and Ginny as well. She said Dean and Margot would be coming later.

I realized that today was the first time I had ever seen her without Margot. It was kind of strange to see her with just her kids with Harry. I plaited Lily's hair- it had grown since July and was now easier to be braided. "There you go, Lily." I said, helping her up. "Are you excited for your party?"

She nodded. "I am."

"Good." I told her, and lead her outside where Al was setting up some fairy lights and Harry and Ginny were talking. The party would start in about ten minutes, and I knew some people would be arriving any minute. I took one last second to compose myself and put on a happy face, before joining Harry and slipping my hand in his.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks for all the super nice reviews, everyone. They were awesome and made me smile. So, what'd you think of this chapter? Got some action in there with Ginny. Anyways, let me know what you think! I have some time off from school in the next two weeks and will hopefully be updating a little more frequently for the time being. But please, keep reviewing. I appreciate all the support so much


	38. Chapter 38

The most intimidating people to show up at the party were definitely Ginny's older brothers, the two oldest if I was correct. They said nothing to me, but I could tell they were watching me from a distance all afternoon. It was annoying, but everyone else seemed nice enough.

I was inside, washing up a dish after lunch had been cleared away, while a stream of Ginny's brothers' wives came in and out of the house. I'd been introduced to them all at one point, but had not quite remembered all the names.

"Washing dishes by hand?" one of them asked me, stopping in the kitchen. Her accent was French, I could tell.

I nodded. "Yeah." I said. "I think they get cleaner that way."

"Fair enough." she nodded.

"Are you intimidated yet?" another asked, she was dark skinned and beautiful.

"Yeah." I admitted, drying my hands on a towel.

"Don't worry." the blonde one said. "It gets better. I promise. They all hated me at first."

I nodded. I appreciated that they were trying to reassure me that it would eventually be a good situation. I wasn't entirely convinced. I felt awkward and like everything I was doing was being watched closely. I didn't want to appear too close to Lily and Al, or they would say I was trying to take Ginny's place. If I was too distant from them, I was only in the relationship for Harry. "Thank you." I said.

"They'll warm up to you." she said. "They're truly all very soft men."

I laughed, and shrugged. "Hopefully." I said. I put down the dish, and went outside with them. I rejoined Harry, as he sat at a table with Ron and Hermione and chatted.

"Hello, Hermione, you look lovely." I said. Her stomach was large, but had a nice round shape to it.

She smiled weakly. "Everyone else keeps asking if I'm having twins. I'm massive."

"I don't think you are." I admitted. "I mean, my sister was larger. You're definitely pregnant but I don't think you look like you're carrying twins."

"Thank you." she said, and extended her hands to rest on her stomach. I could tell she was self conscious.

"Of course." I said. "When are you due, again?"

"First week of November." she said. "But I will probably go earlier than that. I had Rosie at thirty eight weeks, which I was told was early for a first time mother."

I nodded. "Early, but not unheard of. Are you getting sick of being pregnant?"

She shrugged. "Not really... I like it." she said. "I mean, give me two more weeks and I probably won't be as pleased with it, but I do enjoy it. It's kind of sad to know that I'm done."

"No more kids?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I don't think my career could handle it. You know what I mean..."

I did, so I nodded. I knew exactly what she was talking about. The pressure to maintain a prestigious career while also pursuing a family life. "Yes, I do."

"Is that how it is for Healers, as well?" she asked.

"Yeah. Most Healers have one or two children." I told her. "The only way I'll be having two children is if they're twins."

She laughed. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I felt like that at one point, as well."

We talked a little more about her pregnancy, and it was nice to talk to her. I liked Hermione. I noticed Ginny had sulked off in a corner, by herself, without Margot. Dean was off, with Margot, talking to one of her brothers. The only person I remembered seeing Ginny with all day was Molly.

After that, Harry and I went inside to get her cake from the ice box. Molly had made the cake, which was chocolate with white frosting. We were the only people inside, and it was nice to be alone with him for a minute. Lily was with some of her cousins, running around.

"How's the party going?" I asked,getting out the plastic silverware.

"She's having a great time." he said, looking out the window at her. "She's growing up so fast."

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Did Ginny miscarry?" he asked, looking at me.

I nodded. "How did you know?"

"She had the face on." he said. "And she wants nothing to do with Margot, and she has barely said anything to Dean all afternoon. And he also looks upset. I could tell."

To be honest, I was a little jealous that he could tell that much about her just by looking at her. He knew her so well, and I had to remind myself that a ten year marriage was a really long time to get to know someone. They had been through a lot together, and sometimes I let my jealousy get ahead of me.

"Oh." was all I could muster, so I just nodded, and helped to get things together.

"How do you think the party is going?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Fine, I think." I said.

"Everyone's been nice to you, right?"

I nodded. "Mmhm."

We brought the cake and ice cream out, and served it to everyone. I tried to mingle without Harry at my side, but ended up back with him. I really wanted to make him proud by socializing with everyone, but I just couldn't do it. I did it for hours, but was done.

He understood, I thought. We sat at a table with Hannah and Neville for awhile, and I mostly listened to him talk. I had my eyes on Ginny, watching what she was doing without making it obvious. She stuck with Molly, mostly. I saw her and Dean exchange words that did not look so nice at one point, and felt a little bad, even though it was not really my place. Without saying a word to him, I knew Harry felt the same way.

We were alone in the kitchen, cleaning up after the cake mess. He laughed, and I turned around to see what he was chuckling about.

"What's so funny?" I asked him, turning around.

"Want to go snog in the pantry?" he asked, quietly, with a smirk on his face. I knew he wasn't serious.

I giggled too. "I think we're a little past that, don't you?" I asked. "We can do that in public, now." It brought back to me the memory of us at Jay's party, sneaking in the pantry for a few minutes of togetherness, and I laughed at our stupidity.

"Mmm, that's okay." he said, wrapping his arms around me.

"We should get back out there." I said.

"Probably."

The slider door opened, and one of Ginny's brothers came in. The single one, who came without anyone else and had been glaring at me earlier.

"I've got to get going." he said.

"Aw, already, Charlie?" Harry asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, unfortunately, it's already night time in Romania..." he said. "But it was a great party. She's a good kid... turning into Ginny, a bit."

Harry laughed. "Sometimes." he said. "They have the same temper, that's for sure." he agreed. "Charlie, did you ever meet Sadie?" He turned around, and gestured to me.

"No." he said, finally looking at me. Meeting his eye was harder than I thought it would be, but I did it. For a second.

"Hello." I said, trying to sound genuine.

"Hi." he said. "Well, anyways, it was great. I'll see you around, Harry."

"Alright."Harry said. "Nice seeing you."

Charlie let himself out.

"That was weird." Harry said. I just nodded, and we went back outside for the rest of the party.

That night, after everything was cleaned up, we sat on the couch, pigging out on left overs. Everyone had left an hour before, and thankfully, Molly had taken Al and Lily.

We were exhausted and feeling lazy, so we sat on the couch and ate. "I'm getting old." he groaned, rubbing out his shoulder.

"No, you're not." I assured him. "It was a long day, and we did a lot and you're still recovering from the accident last month."

"It's not just that." he said. "It's that my youngest child, my baby is four." he said. "I'm old."

I sighed. "I know." I said, running my hand through his hair. "It's fine."

"And Ron and Hermione are starting all over in a few weeks." he said. "They're so lucky."

I nodded. "I'm sorry." I said. "I wish I could give you that right now."

He sighed. "I want it badly." he admitted, looking me straight in the eye. "It's been ten years since I've raised a baby with someone else."

I leaned my head against him. "You'll get to again..."

"I know." he said. "But...in two years I'll be really old. More than halfway to forty, Sadie. That's... pretty old to have a newborn."

"And you'd, what, have a toddler instead?" I said. "You won't be too old, I promise. Everything is going to work out for the best."

He sighed. "Yeah." he didn't sound sure.

"I'm sorry." he apologized. "It's just that I miss having little kids."

"I know." I told him. "But my career..."

"A career isn't everything." he argued.

"To me, it's a big deal. We've been through this before." I countered, exasperated.

"I know." he sighed. "I'm sorry..."

I hugged him. "I love you." I told him. "And I can't wait to have a baby... but now is not the time."

He just nodded, and whispered that he loved me back.

I was both nervous and excited about going to Hogsmeade the next weekend. I was excited to see Jay. We had exchanged a few more letters over the last month, and I felt that brought us closer together. After we had gotten to know more about each other on parchment, I wanted to see him in real life.

But I was nervous to see Teddy. I had never gotten a return letter from him. Harry tried to convince me it would be alright, but I was doubtful I wanted to go, really. I didn't want to ruin what could have been a nice family lunch, but Harry insisted that I go.

"You're going." he said to me. "And you and Teddy will get along. I don't care if I have to lock you two into a closet somewhere until you get along, I've had enough of this."

"Look." I said, getting frustrated at him. "I've sent a letter and tried to sort stuff out."

"I know." he sighed. "I've let it go on for far too long."

Saturday morning came quickly. My stomach was full of butterflies as we got dressed, and I slipped on a cozy dress. I helped Lily get dressed, and we ate a light breakfast. We were not going too early, so as to give the boys some time with their friends before we came for lunch.

"Excited to see your brothers?" I asked Lily, as I helped her with her hair.

She nodded. "I miss them." she said. "And I will be at Hogwarts all by myself. They'll all be grown-ups when I'm at Hogwarts."

I brushed her hair, but didn't know what to say to her. "You will be okay." I told her.

She nodded. Around eleven, we went into his office and got a portkey to Hogsmeade. The portkey was a book from his office, so we all had to hold on tight. He held Lily in his arms as we spun around.

We landed on the train platform at Hogsmeade, and I was a little nauseous from the ride. It was very cold here, as it was farther north than his house. The air was biting, and felt almost as if it might snow.

We huddled together as we moved into the town. Everywhere I looked, we were surrounded by Hogwarts students.

I looked for a familiar head of curly, chestnut or blue hair among the crowds of kids. Jay's red-brown hair would be harder to spot, but I knew that bright blue, or any unnatural color that Teddy might be sporting, would be instantly obvious. And hopefully, they would be together.

It only took us about fifteen minutes to find Jay, who came bounding at us with a smile on his face. He had a shopping bag in his arm, but managed to give Harry a hug. "Hello." he said to all of us, grinning.

He gave me a hug next, which made me feel really happy. "Thanks, Jay." I said. I knew it was a big step for him.

"It's good to see you, Sadie." he said, before greeting his siblings.

"Have you seen Ted?" Harry asked, his eyes still scanning the crowds.

"Well, he was at breakfast."Jay said, shifting uncomfortably. His gaze flickered to me briefly, then to the ground. I wondered if Teddy was even planning on showing up.

"He'll be here." Harry said, trying to convince us, and I was sure, himself. "He has probably just lost track of the time."

I nodded at him. "Yeah, of course." I said. "How's Quidditch going, Jay?"

He started telling us about how great his team was this year, and how they would definitely be winning the Quidditch cup. He was very happy and animated, which made for an easy distraction, at least for me. I saw Lily begin to twitch, and thought she might be cold. It was very chilly in the park we were standing in.

"Here, why don't we go get everyone a table at the cafe and I'll go find Teddy?" Harry suggested. I nodded, and grabbed Lily's hand.

We went to a small cafe on the other side of Hogsmeade, far away from most of the students. He made sure we were all set up with drinks and bread, before leaving again to look for Teddy.

Author's Note: This was a hard chapter to write, and I'm not sure I like it that much. But the next chapter is pretty dramatic, with the Teddy and Sadie conflict finally coming to a head. I just want to thank the people who have reviewed for the last couple of chapters. I was in a bit of a rut and getting so few reviews... all of this support has really convinced me to keep writing. I'm working on replying to all your reviews and should be done with that by tonight. Keep reviewing!


	39. Chapter 39

I tapped my finger on the table absent-mindedly, anxious for his return. Lily sat next to me, and James and Albus were across from us. They drank their fizzy drinks cautiously. An awkward air had settled itself over us.

"Oh, I got you something." Jay said, pulling out the bag he had earlier. He handed a small, badly wrapped package to both Lily and me.

Lily opened hers first, and grinned. It was a small, colored quills set. "Thanks."

"It's for sketching." he said. "They're pre-inked, so no mess."

"Oh, cool." she said. I opened mine next.

It was a brand new quill, and was also pre-inked. "Wow, thanks Jay." I said. It was a shiny, dark green feather.

"I figured you'd probably busted up a quill or two writing to me." he said.

"Thank you, Jay." I said. "I really appreciate it. I'm sure I'll put it to good use."

We exchanged a smile, and then sat waiting for Harry. After a few minutes of small talk, Lily asked, "Is Papa coming back?"

"Yes, of course he is." I told her gently, resting my hand on her shoulder. She nodded.

About five minutes later, he returned. His face was pink from the cold and he looked frustrated. Teddy was not following him. We all looked expectantly at him. "Teddy will join us after lunch." he announced, sliding into the booth and unraveling his scarf.

Lily was sad, I could tell, and hung her head. I hoped she didn't think it was her fault, that he didn't want to come see us. The thought crossed my mind that I should leave, and let them have a nice family dinner, but I knew there was no way he would let that happen. So I tried to enjoy lunch.

There was a fire going in the cafe, and it was warm and toasty. I was surprised that no one came and bothered us. It was my first time in a long time going out in public without glamor charms to make me blonde. The cafe was pretty busy, but we were in the back corner and mostly left alone. I liked that.

Jay entertained us with stories of Quidditch practices and classes. He hardly stopped babbling on since Harry came in, and I spaced out while I was listening to him.

"Ready to go?" Harry asked, nudging me as he stood up.

"Oh, yeah." I said, standing up. While we were in the small cafe, and knew we wouldn't confront Teddy until we left, I felt safe. As we stood up and moved towards the door, my heart began to pound and I was afraid. I'm not sure why, but I knew that something was about to happen with Teddy and I hoped with all I had that it would turn out well.

We moved out, into the street. The weather was on the threshold of snow, but the air remained dry. I knew he could sense my reluctance and anxiety, and slipped his hand around my waist. "It's going to be all right." he murmured.

I just nodded, and brushed my hair out of my face. We walked to the main part of the village, in search of him.

"What color is his hair today?" Al asked, as he looked around.

"It was purple, earlier." Harry said, distracted, as he also scanned the crowd. I saw his eyes dart across the street, into an alley, and he was off.

We followed him, and Teddy was walking towards a door in the alley with some friends. Harry called out his name, and he turned around. He looked angry when he recognized the source of his name. He stopped, and waved his friends on.

His hair had turned an impossibly dark purple, nearly black but still indigo. Lily let go of my hand and sped off towards him, hugging his knees. He didn't pick her up as I expected.

"Hi, Lily." he said. She looked up at him, a little surprised that he didn't pick her up.

"Teddy." she said, sticking out her lip. I felt awful that he was rejecting her because he was angry with me.

"What're you doing here?" Teddy asked, looking straight as Harry. "I thought we settled this."

"Enough is enough." Harry said. "We're going to settle this."

"I told you I'm not interested with settling this." Teddy growled. I was suddenly filled with a great anger towards Teddy. I had tried to fix this, but he didn't even want to. He just wanted it all to go away.

Harry sighed. "Teddy." he pleaded. "Please." He bit his lip, and I could tell he was trying to figure it out. Jay and Al exchanged glances, and looked a little confused. "Sadie, uhm, why don't you take the kids to the park?"

I looked at him, and looked back to Teddy. "One moment. I have something to say to Teddy first." I walked down the alley, facing him. Somehow, I had enough raw courage to look him in the eye, but he was looking at the ground. "You can hurt me all you want, but it is not okay with me when you start hurting your family. You can ignore my attempts to fix things, but rejecting Lily- what has she done to you?"

He looked like he might say something, but shut his mouth.

I took a deep breath and collected my thoughts again. "And you're concerned about me hurting him, but you need to look at yourself. You have hurt him more in this situation then I ever could. I am not the problem here."

I nodded, mostly for myself, and turned on my heel. I left him with those words, and grabbed Lily's hand. "Let's go to the park." I said.

Harry joined us not five minutes later, as I pushed Lily on the swing set. She was quiet, but I could see her shell melt away as I pushed her. Al and Jay sat on the swings across from us, and talked quietly. I wondered what they were talking about, but let them be.

Harry looked weary and tired, and joined me at the swing. I tried to catch his eyes and figure out what has happened between him and Teddy. He took over for me at the swing, and while Lily was airborne, turned to me. "He bolted." he said. "I couldn't find him."

I nodded. "I'm sorry."

"No." he said, quietly. "Everything you said needed to be said. I'm just frustrated with him."

I put my hand on his back and just murmured agreement.

"What time have you got to be back, Jay?" Harry called. The boys hopped off the swings and walked over.

"Four." Jay said. I looked over Harry's shoulder at his watch- it was nearing three.

"All right." he said. "I think we should be getting on our way. Your friends are still in the village, aren't they?"

Jay nodded. "Yeah. It's been a nice day. I'm glad you all came out."

"The game is in two weeks, yeah?"

"Yeah. Ten o'clock."

"We will be there." I said to him. "I can't wait to see you play."

"Thanks, Sadie." he said, a smile finally returning to his face. He slung an arm around me, and I hugged him back. He said goodbye to everyone, and we walked him to the village, before going back to the train platform and taking another port key.

We landed on the back porch, and I helped them get packed up so they could get to Ginny's. I was functioning on a sort of auto-pilot, as I was upset about the situation with Teddy. I didn't really want the kids to know, so I tried to be happy as I waved goodbye when Harry took them.

I laid on the couch and waited for him to come back. I knew it was only going to be twenty minutes, so I tried to relax and analyze what had happened. How long could I do this? I felt like I was ripping this family apart. The sight of Lily's face, shocked from the rejection of Teddy, flashed over and over in my mind, and made me want to throw up.

_Thud!_

I stood up and ran to the sliding door in the kitchen. A plain, brown owl had flown into the glass. It looked like a Hogwarts owl, and I started to worry, so I opened the door and grabbed the piece of parchment in its grip. It had my name on it, and it wasn't in Jay's handwriting.

I took it to the table and opened it there, my hands shaking. I wondered if I really wanted to open the envelope. I pondered it for a few seconds, before I tore the seal in haste.

_I'm sorry. I didn't realize how much you cared about my family. _

The writing was shaking and a couple things were scribbled out beside it. I let out a huge breath of air I hadn't realized I was keeping in. I was overwhelmed with relief, and overcome by emotion. I felt a tear roll down my face, and began to cry.

The front door opened, and Harry walked in. "Sadie?" he asked, since he could hear my cries. He rushed to me once he found me, "What's wrong?"

He picked up the parchment and read it. "Oh my God..." he said, and a smile spread across his face. "He's... Oh, thank Gods."

I just nodded, and he hugged me. "I have to write back." I said, wiping my tears away, and summoning parchment. I pulled the new quill that Jay had given me out and scribbled something.

_Can we declare peace? Please, Teddy? I just want you to like me. I'm not going to hurt him, I promise. _

I sealed it up and sent it off with the owl, excited and relieved and happy. I sat down on the couch next to him, and sighed, content.

"Thank you." he murmured, as he kissed me. "That needed to happen so badly. We should celebrate."

"Yeah?" I asked.

He nodded, and tugged my hand upstairs. "Finally, we can use the Pen sieve." he said. "We've been trying for what... a month?"

I smiled. I thought we were finally in a place where we could do this without being horridly jealous of the past. "Yeah." I said. "You go first."

He nodded. "All right." he said. "What do you want to see?"

"I just want to see normal. What was a normal thing for you?"

He nodded, and I could see him thinking. "Okay." he said. He put the wand against his temple and drew out the memory, placing it in the Pensieve basin that he pulled out of his closet.

"Ready?" he asked, grasping my hand. I nodded, and took a deep breath, before he pulled us in.

"_Harry, we're going to be late." Ginny scolded, but her voice was playful. We landed in a small kitchen. It was an apartment. There was a half dead plant on the window, and judging from what I could see, we were on the second or third floor._

"_I'm sorry, I'm sorry." he said, coming into the room. He still had on Auror robes, and slipped off the green top robe in favor of a more casual black one. _

_Ginny rubbed her large, pregnant belly. I guessed from looking at her she was seven to eight months along She had one of her arms on her stomach, and rubbed it lazily. He leaned in to kiss her, and put his hand on her stomach. A bit of jealousy ran through me, but the real Harry squeezed my hand. "Hello." she murmured to him, cupping his face in her hands. _

"_Hi, love." he said. "How's he doing?"_

"_Been kicking me all day, the little bugger." she said, and he laughed. "But c'mon, I've been waiting all day. Are you really going to make me wait any longer?"_

"_No, no. Of course not." he said, and wrapped his arms around her. He side-along apparated her and they were brought to the house. _

_It was the same, yet very different at the same time. The shrubs and trees that surrounded the house were smaller, and the house did not radiate the same, cozy feeling I had come to expect. There was no driveway built, and no car sitting in it. It had a very new feeling to it. _

"_Well?" Harry asked, grinning as he looked at Ginny. Her eyes were shining with tears, but she swallowed them. _

"_Oh, it's amazing. Just like I pictured. Can we go in?"_

"_Of course." he said, pulling a set of Muggle keys from his pocket, and unlocking the door. "I've got to carry you over the threshold you know, I believe that's tradition."_

_She blushed, but let him, and he picked her up. "Oh, it's even wonderful inside." she said, her eyes darting all over in an effort to take in the house. Most of it hadn't been painted yet, and lacked the orange that made it so homey. _

"_Welcome home, Gin." he said, kissing her. She grinned, and went upstairs. _

The memory fizzled out and we returned to his bedroom. "Wow." I said, both fascinated and slightly jealous. "You were so cute when you were younger. How old were you there?"

"Twenty, I think." he said. "Maybe twenty one... I forget exactly."

"You were an adorable couple." I told him. "I... wow. Thank you for showing me that."

He nodded. "I feel so removed from that, now. It's such a vivid memory to me, but at the same time, I feel so far away from that relationship."

"What do you want to see from me?" I asked.

"Can I see the proposal?" he asked. "To know what I'm competing with?"

I nodded, and drew the memory out of my head. We dove into the basin.

_It was strange to see the younger me. I wore a bright blue dress and woolen coat, as we walked through Paris, We had just left a fancy restaurant, and I carried a takeaway bag with dessert and a bottle of wine in it. I was impeccably dressed, and so was he, in his three piece suit. _

_We walked through a park, on our way back to the hotel, holding hands, when he suddenly stopped, and looked around. _

"_What are you doing?" the younger me asked, curious at his strange actions._

"_Looking." he said. "Hold on."_

_I had followed him, until he stopped, looked up at the clear winter sky and stopped. "What-?"_

"_Good." he declared, and held my hands. "Sadie., love"_

"_Yes?"_

"_We've been together for two years, now. And you're brilliant, really, and I think we make a smashing couple." he said, before bending down on one knee. "Will you marry me?"_

_This was the part where I had finally figured out what the hell he was doing and started to cry happy tears. I nodded, and he got up and kissed me. _

It was an odd sensation to relive that, and I was glad it was over. I looked up to him, and he looked a little dazed. "Wow." he said.

I nodded. "Yeah?"

"That was a kind of pathetic proposal speech. He didn't mention your beauty or your amazing brain or how fabulous you are with family things..."

I shrugged. "To be honest, I don't really remember it that well." I said.

"You were gorgeous there, my Gods." he said.

"He picked it out." I said. "He did that a lot, surprising me with dress bags and other clothing."

He just nodded. "That was nice to see."

"I'm glad we did that." I told him, and took his hand in mine.

Author's Note: This was a very hard chapter to write. The Teddy scene was atrocious, and that isn't completely over yet, so if it doesn't feel complete, it's not. I meant to have it up last night, but I'm very sick with a bad case of strep throat, sorry. I hope you like this chapter. Please, let me know what you think. I'm begging everyone to review review review! I'll be back with another update in a few days. Thanks for all the support.


	40. Chapter 40

I exchanged a few more letters with Teddy, they were brief and poorly written, but I was so thankful for them. He had apologized for all his poor behavior, saying that he was always concerned with his own family, not with me.

My birthday trip was quickly approaching. We would be spending the weekend away, though he wouldn't tell me where we were going or when we were leaving. It was Wednesday, and I still hadn't gotten instructions on what to pack.

I came home from work, tired and annoyed with some of the Healers below me. When I walked through the door, Harry sat at the table with Cor, and they were talking.

When they saw me, they both stopped talking and Harry vanished some parchment. "Hello." I said, shutting the door behind me. "What're you doing?"

"Nothing." Harry said, standing up.

"Liar." I said, going forward and poking him in the chest. "What were those papers?" I pouted my lips and did my best to try and get it out of him. He didn't look like he would budge.

"No papers." he showed that his hands were empty. "I've got to go, I'll see you on Friday." he leaned in and kissed me. "Thanks for your help, Cor."

"Anytime." she said, her eyes sparkling, as she waved goodbye. He apparated away.

"What's going on?" I asked her, confused.

"He's so sweet." she said. "Just stuff for your birthday surprise. Which you're going to love."

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"He made me swear I wouldn't tell you. You'll find out soon enough." she smirked. "Ah, you're so lucky."

"Should I bring a sweater?" I asked. "Or are we going somewhere warm and tropical?"

"He's got clothing covered."she told me. "Also, when you return from your little holiday, we're going out for your birthday. We haven't spent time together in far too long."

"Well..." I trailed off. "I"ve..."

"Been home, I know." she said. "I've been spending a ton of time with Keith, but I don't want to be the girl who gets a boyfriend and completely forgets about everyone else. So next week, we will do something."

"How are things going with Keith?" I asked, since we hadn't talked in almost a week.

"Things are great." she said, a smile spreading across her face. "Really, wonderful. I met his parents last weekend and they're just lovely."

"Good." I said.

"And he's asked me to move in with him." she said, drumming her finger along the table.

I knew that was coming. But they'd only been going out for a month- that was crazy, to move in so quickly. "I see." I said.

"I turned him down, for now." she told me, and almost sounded apologetic. "But I think I will be moving in with him in the next month or so. I'm sorry, Sadie."

"Why are you sorry?" I asked. "You're allowed to live your life, Cor. It's only natural progression of your relationship."

"I know." she sighed. "But I just feel like you should get to move out first. And I keep remembering how nice it was when you first moved in and..."

"Harry's actually asked me to move in with him." I told her.

"I know. He told me." she said, "But you haven't."

"I was waiting for everything to be better with his kids first." I said. "And now it is. So I'll probably move in soon. Don't feel bad."

She nodded. "It's kind of sad... that it's coming to an end."

I sat down. "Yeah. It is." I sighed. "But, it's for good reasons, too, isn't it? I mean, we're so old. All of our classmates are married and most of them have kids."

"Most of them aren't Healers." she pointed out.

"I know."

"But... you're right. It's good. We've both got great blokes who love us." I nodded, and she had to go to work so I did stuff around the house.

I was a bit pensive, as I did laundry, but I tried to be happy. I trusted Cor, and whatever Harry had planned for me would be amazing. I got a call from my mother Thursday night.

"Hello." I said, picking up the phone.

"Hi, love." she said. Her voice was warm and welcoming. I hadn't talked to her in awhile and it was nice to hear her voice.

"How are you?" I asked, picking a strand of hair to twist and twirl while we talked.

"Great." she said. "I just wanted to call you to figure out your birthday dinner for next week."

"Right." I mumbled.

"Thursday night will work for you, right? You don't have any other plans?"

"No, I've left the night open for you." I told her.

"Oh, good. I believe that Jack and Maggie and Naomi will be coming, but I'm not so sure about Elise. She's getting back to me. Is Harry going to be able to make it?"

"Yes." I told her. "And if it's all right, he'll be bringing two of his children."

"Oh, of course!" She said, excitement in her voice. I smiled. "Which two? How old? What do they like to eat?"

"Lily, and Al." I told her. "His four year old and ten year old. They'll be fine with what you're making."

"Oh, I'm so glad you're bringing them." she gushed. "I'll be sure to set extra spots for them. I'm really glad they're coming."

"Yeah, me too." I admitted.

"So, what would you like to eat, then?" she asked.

"Roast and mashed potatoes." I said. That was my favorite meal that my mother made, without a doubt. "And chocolate cake for dessert."

"It never changes." she observed. "Why do I even ask?"

I just laughed. "I'm looking forward to it, Mum."

"Good. Me too. Have any other plans for your birthday?" she asked me.

"Yeah. Harry's taking me away this weekend." I told her.

"Ah, that's sweet. Where are you going?"

"He won't tell me." I said, smiling. "But Cor knows and she assures me I'll love it."

"Oh, how nice." she said. "I'm so happy for you two. A few months ago I never would have guessed that you would be going away with a man on your birthday. I'm so happy you are."

"Me too." I admitted. "Me too."

I didn't even know what time we were leaving. Harry left me in the dark about everything. So I went to work Friday, unsure of everything.

I was standing at the Healer station, going through paperwork and getting the schedule ready for the next week. "Sadie." someone called.

I turned around,and Harry was leaning against the counter.

"Oh my God." I said, panic filling me. "Who's here?"

"No one." he said, laughing. "You're leaving, though."

"I'm in the middle of a shift." I told him. "I can't leave."

"No, you can. I talked to Keith and he's got a replacement coming for you."

I put down the schedule I was making and turned to him, just confused.

"Come on, Sadie. We have a portkey to catch. Let's go!" He grabbed my arm. "Go get your stuff and let's get out of here. Your birthday weekend starts now."

I smiled, and nodded, going to grab my purse and clock out. I met him at the entrance, and he grabbed my hand. "Where are we going?" I asked.

"Well, to your flat first." he said, and grabbed me. He side-along apparated us and we landed in the kitchen. It was quiet, Cor wasn't home.

"What're we doing?" I asked, poking him, a smile spreading across my face in anticipation. "Tell me."

He just shook his head. "No. You'll find out soon enough. But first, you need to change out of your Healer robes and put this on." He handed me a bag from a clothing store in London. "I'm going to make sandwiches for the layover."

"With what?" I laughed. "We've got no food."

"Then we'll have to make a stop at the Leaky before we can leave."

"Do we have a portkey to catch?" I asked, intrigued.

"Yes." he said. "A couple."

"To where?" I asked, as I went in my room to change. I slipped off my loafers and robe. I took a dress out of the bag- it was black and white, a wrap dress. It was perfect for travelling. I put it on, and replaited my hair. "America?"

"You can't take a portkey to America." he said. "You need special government permission for that. It's way too far. But good guess."

I put on some black flats and put down enough food for Sam for a few days. "Ta-da. I'm ready." I said, going back into the living room.

"You look lovely." he said, kissing me. "All right. Let's go."

"But, where's all my stuff?" I asked. "Where's your stuff?"

"It's already at our destination. If we don't leave now we'll be late."

We went to the Leaky quickly, not feeling like putting our glamors on. It was midday on a Friday, so it wasn't too busy. Hannah got us our sandwiches quickly. "Hey, it's your birthday next week, innit?"

"Yeah." I said.

"We're going away this weekend." Harry said.

"Oh, cool." she replied. "Well, here- I've been saving this bottle of wine for someone special- it's a really rare bottle. Enjoy it."

"Thanks, Hannah." Harry said, grabbing it.

"Cheers!" she shouted. We Floo'd to the Ministry, where he had an international portkey waiting. While we waited for it to be ready, we sat at the terminal.

"Okay, unfortunately, Sadie, I've got to blindfold you now." he said, pulling out a black square of fabric, and fastening it around my eyes.

I just laughed, not wanting to resist anymore. "This better be worth it." I told him.

"I assure you, it will be." he murmured, his lips hovering close to my ear. "Just hold on tight. We'll be there soon."

He held tightly onto me, and I felt him grasp something in one of his hands. The intense feelings of portkey travel hit me, and about a minute later, I felt us land. "We've got a layover for about fifteen minutes. Let's go eat our sandwiches."

He guided me into a small waiting room, and took off my blindfold. "Did I hear that man out there yelling in French?"

"Possibly." he said, pulling the sandwiches out of his bag.

"Are we in France?"

"Not saying." he whistled. We ate quickly, and my blindfold went back on. We took three more portkeys, and finally were on solid ground. It was warmer where we were, about seventy degrees, instead of the fifty it was at home. I wondered where we could be- I knew that Spain, Italy, and Greece were all four portkeys away.

"How much longer?" I asked.

"We're walking up the path now, another minute." he said softly. I followed his lead, and we went through a door. My hearing was mostly gone, and I knew he'd cast a spell to muffle it. We did a little more walking, and then, we stopped. His hands unfastened the blindfold, and I could see again.

We stood in a little bedroom, wood panel walls and double doors to outside. I immediately went to them, and opened the glass doors. It led to a little deck, we were on a cliff that overlooked beautiful, sparkling water. I took a deep breath of the fresh, sea air in. "Where are we?" I asked.

"Spain." he said. "A little village south of Valencia."

It was absolutely amazing. "Wow." I said, turning and hugging him. "This is absolutely better than anything I was imagining."

"Good." he grinned, kissing me. "It's a little village, they don't get a ton of tourism, and were very accommodating. We've got a great weekend planned."

"What're we doing?" I asked.

"Can't tell you much." he said. "But tonight we're having a traditional Spanish meal for dinner. We could go to the beach if you'd like."

"I've no bathing suit." I said.

"I brought you one." he said, and went into the closet. I followed him, and it was filled with beautiful clothing. A pale, eggshell blue dress stood out at me. He handed me a two piece, a navy blue tankini. I put it on, and we headed to the beach. He pulled out a trashy romance novel and handed it to me.

"Really?" I asked. He nodded. "You're the best." I told him.

"Thanks." he grinned. We spent the afternoon at the beach, even though it wasn't terribly warm. The water was still warm, though, so we spent a lot of time swimming. My book was lovely, perfectly trashy and easy to read. This was exactly how I wanted to spend my birthday weekend.

When we went back up to the cottage, it was dark out. A woman from the village was bringing us dinner, a traditional paella, but not until later because they ate dinner later in Spain. So we snacked on some food that he had brought, and relaxed. The cottage was quaint. It had a small kitchen, a table to eat at, a bed, and TV all in one large room, with a bathroom and shower in another room. As night fell, it got colder and he built a fire in the fireplace.

The nice woman brought the food around nine, by which time I was starving. She didn't speak an ounce of English, so Harry did all the talking to her. He brought in the food, and handed me a dish.

"I didn't know you spoke Spanish." I said to him.

"Not well." he said. "But as an Auror we're supposed to know the basics of a few languages, just enough to get by during emergencies. During scheduled interactions we can get ahold of translating potions."

I nodded, and began to eat. "This is delicious." I said. He agreed, and the food was quickly gone. He'd brought cookies, though, and we munched on them. Because it was so late, we got into bed. He'd bought me nice, silky pajamas. They were soft and luxurious against my skin, and made me feel sexy. "Can we have a frank discussion?" I asked.

He sat up in bed, and slid his glasses up. "Is everything all right?" he asked, looking a little startled.

"Yeah, it's fine." I said, but positioned my head on his shoulder. "I... just, how do you see this relationship progressing?"

He swallowed. "Well." he said. "I think the next step would be to have you move in with me."

"Yeah?" I asked, pleased with his answer.

"Yeah." he replied. "I don't see why not. All of my kids are pretty okay with you, now. Al and Lily love you. You practically live there half the week anyways."

"But... it would be okay? It's a big deal."

"I know." he said. "And we could do something beforehand, like have you stay a whole week with us, but not telling the kids and seeing if they notice or mind. I'm sure they'd like you to move in with us."

"I think they'd like the idea of it, but I'm not sure they'd like all of it." I said. "I don't want them to get threatened."

"So maybe we'll take it easy, and slow." he mentioned. "Work it up from the halfway thing we're doing now... and aim to have you at the house full time by Christmas."

I nodded. "Okay." I smiled. "I think that sounds right."

"Good." he smoothed my hair and kissed me. "I'm glad."

We slept well. I slept better than I had in weeks, wrapped in his arms in my nice, new pajamas. When I woke up, he'd already been up a while and made coffee, toast, and fried eggs. The French doors were open, and a nice, salty breeze wafted in. Because the air was cool, we snuggled together after we ate.

"Sadie?" he asked.

"Hmm?" I asked, not picking my head up from off his chest.

"You're absolutely the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

"You're really sweet." I mumbled, smiling.

"And you're one of the smartest people I know."

"Don't lie." I told him. "You know Hermione."

"Not lying." he said. "It's true. And you're so fabulous with my kids, you really are."

"I love them." I whispered.

"I love you." he whispered back. "Will you sit up for a second? Come on, up, up."

I did, but I was annoyed with him. All I wanted to do was sleep. "What?" I asked.

"Sadie, will you marry me?" he asked.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Cliffhanger! Okay, so what'd you think? She could easily say yes, or no! And I only got 3 reviews on the last one :( So I'd really like a few more than that on this one! If I get six reviews, the next chapter will go up then, if not you'll have to wait until Friday. Your decision, lovely readers. Let me know! Thank you!


	41. Chapter 41

I was taken by complete surprise, not expecting that at all. I just blinked at him for a minute, trying to recover from the absolute shock. A million thoughts took over my mind- it was so soon, I thought. So soon! I hadn't anticipated this for months. I could easily say no.

But...

I loved him, I really did. And I knew we were going to get married eventually, since the second week we were together. There was something so entirely right about our relationship, that I couldn't help but want to continue it forever.

"Sadie...?" he asked, and I could see panic taking over him.

"Yes." I nodded.

"Yes?" he asked, and I could see the panic turn into excitement. "You'll marry me?"

"Yes." I said, a smile finally crossing my face.

He rolled on top of me, cupping my face in his hands. "Oh, Sadie." he said, pressing kisses into my mouth. "You had me scared for a moment."

"I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting it, is all."

"I love you, I love you so much." He said, and I could see how much he meant it.

"I love you too." I said, circling my arms around his waist.

"I'd bet you'd like to see the ring?" he asked.

I nodded, and he rolled off me. He pulled open the drawer of his bedside table, and pulled out a black, ring box. He kneeled next to the bed, and grabbed my hand so he could slip on the ring. I examined it. It was platinum, as I adored. A square diamond sat in the middle, with a criss crossed band in the front. It was simple and elegant. "I love it." I said. My eyes began to fill with tears, that I desperately didn't want to shed.

He climbed back in the bed and wrapped his arms around me. My heart was still pounding from excitement. "I'm going to be your wife." I said, a little dumbfounded.

"Ah, that's so great." he said. "I'm going to be your husband."

"I'm going to have a husband." I murmured. "Ah, that's so weird."

"Yeah." he said.

"I hope your kids don't mind. Do they know you asked me?"

"We've talked about it before." he said. "When I first started going out with you, I told them eventually... I would get remarried. And then a few weeks ago, I told them I wanted to marry you and Al and Lily were very supportive."

"What about Jay? Teddy?"

"This was after they went to school." he explained. "I wrote Jay last week, and he said to go for it. And I sent Teddy an owl Thursday, telling him what I was doing. I wasn't sure I was going to propose to you until last night when you agreed to move in with me."

"But you had the ring."

He nodded. "I did." he said. "I bought it a few weeks ago."

I admired it again, and it felt heavy on my hand. It was a constant reminder. "Should we call the kids and tell them?" I asked.

"No." he shook his head. "It can be our little secret till we get home."

I nodded. We stayed in bed for most of the morning. Around noon time, we got up and ate lunch and took showers, and he presented me with jeans and a sweater. "You're going to a spa in the next village to get a massage and have your hair and make up done." he said.

"What're you going to do?" I asked.

"I'll be around." he said. "I'm going to finalize plans for tonight, and I'll be there to pick you up in a few hours."

I nodded, and left in the taxi he called a few minutes later. I was afraid to be without him, especially because there was such a huge language barrier. But the taxi brought me to the spa, and the people there were expecting me.

I was immediately whisked into a delicious smelling room and instructed to put on a robe. A fabulous masseuse came and worked out all the knots in my shoulders and back. I felt amazing. Then I had an aromatherapy treatment, where all sorts of good smelling oils were rubbed into me. I was being treated like a queen.

After I laid there for awhile, they took me to the salon part of the building. My hair was cut, first. It was hard to explain what I wanted without being able to speak, but in the end I got an inch cut off and some shaping put in. I got my nails done, then they did a makeup application. I wasn't a big make up person, but they didn't put on too much and it was a nice change.

I thought I looked pretty nice, at the end of it, and I certainly felt like a princess. Being at the spa gave me a lot of time to think about the engagement. Wearing the simple ring made me feel so different. It made me feel older, which was completely silly, but true.

I couldn't wait to tell my parents. I knew they'd be so happy for me. It would be a long engagement, obviously, as we hadn't been going out that long. I'd be living with him by Christmas, and we would probably plan the wedding for the next year. In that time, I would probably get the promotion to Executive Healer, so that when we got married, we could begin to try to get pregnant right away. I knew I would probably be thirty before I had a baby, and I was okay with that. Two years was a long time, but it was acceptable. Teddy would be graduating and moving out by then, so we would have room for a baby.

I pictured what our wedding would be like. Maybe it would take place in his back yard, in the spring time. Cor would be my made of honor, of course. Hannah would make the food. We could set up chairs and tables under a tent in his backyard. I wondered what I would wear- a traditional Muggle dress, or dress robes? I'd never thought about it before. Would we have a more Muggle ceremony, or a magical one? I had so many things to discuss with him.

By the time I was done at the salon, I couldn't wait to see him. The sun was beginning to go down already, and I wondered how long I'd spent here. A cab pulled up, and he was in it, waving me over. I got in, and slid next to him. "Hello." I said, smiling at him.

"Hello, my gorgeous fiance." he said back, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. He pressed a kiss into my temple. "Are you ready for a great night?"

"I dunno." I said. "What are we doing?"

"Well, we're going on a dinner cruise." he said.

"That sounds fun." I said.

He nodded. "First, we've got to go back to the cottage and change, though, as we can't go in jeans."

"What'd you bring me to wear?" I asked.

"The light blue dress." he said.

When we got back to the cottage, I went and slipped it on. It was a gorgeous dress, strapless, with an embellished waist and flowy pleats that reached the floor. I looked in the mirror and though I looked nice.

He came out of the bathroom, wearing slacks, a crisp white dress shirt, and a black vest. The first two buttons of the dress shirt were undone.

I kissed him immediately, and we embraced. "You look so lovely." he said.

"You do too." I told him.

"We have half an hour," he said. "Want a glass of wine from the bottle Hannah gave us?"

I nodded. "That sounds nice."

I went and sat outside while he brought us glasses. We both took sips, and looked at each other. "This is a strange wine." he said. "I've never tasted anything like it."

"Are you sure it's wine?" I asked.

"That's what she said it was." he said. "It's not bad."

"No, it's just odd." We drank about half the bottle before we left for the dinner cruise. We walked down into the village, holding hands and walking leisurely. The boat was small, only about eight other couples were on it and most looked like locals.

We were seated, at a small table with a white table cloth. Two red roses sat in a vase in the center of the table, as well as two candles. It was the picture of romanticism.

"I can't wait to tell my family." I admitted, and glanced down at my hand. The ring was still there.

He nodded, but pursed his lips.

I grabbed his hand. "What's up with that face?" I asked. "What's wrong?"

"It's... nothing is wrong." he said. "But telling your family will be great. Telling Molly and the Weasleys..."

"Not so great." I said, my stomach sinking. I didn't want to think about how awful that would be. I wanted to remain happy about this.

"And Ginny..."

I just shook my head. "Enough, enough." I said. "I don't want to think about it."

"Molly will want to help plan the wedding." he said.

I made a face. "That's so awkward." I told him. "And no offense, but I'll... we can plan our own wedding."

"Well, there's always eloping."

"Eloping?" I asked.

"Yeah. Why not?" he pondered. "No hassle, get it over. Just the two of us, here in Spain... Only one bought of news to give them."

It did sound like a good idea when he put it like that. "When you put it like that..."

"I mean, we could throw a big reception later. Why wait?"

I leaned over and kissed him.

"Is that a yes?" he mumbled into my mouth.

"I think it is." I told him. All through dinner, we kept meeting each other's gaze and smiling. I was so in love with him tonight, I felt like nothing could ever come between us. We were perfect for each other. After dinner was done being served, he grabbed my hand and we went up to the second level to find the captain.

Harry spoke to him in his limited Spanish, but got the point across to him. He seemed pleased to do it, and we held hands. Harry had to be the one to prompt me on what to say, but it was easy.

We didn't really exchange long vows, when Harry asked me to say something, I began to stutter from my nerves. "I love you." I said, close to his neck. "I'm so glad you're in my life."

He smiled, and kissed my hand. "I never knew a single person could be as good in my life as you are. I love you."

The captain told him to kiss me, and he did. It was just as lovely as our first kiss, and meant so much to me. I wanted to remember this moment forever.

We went downstairs, where everyone on the ship toasted us. The captain bought us a bottle of champagne, and we ended up dancing for awhile. By the time we got off the ship, my face hurt from smiling. It was a lovely night.

I woke up naturally, and could tell that something was not right. I felt... wrong.

Well, firstly I felt extremely hung over. I sat up, peeling my sweaty skin off Harry. I ran to the bathroom, where I threw up immediately. We must have drank a lot last night. Half of the wine from Hannah was still on the table. As I sat on the bathroom floor, trying to settle my stomach and stop my head from pounding, I remembered what happened last night.

We'd gotten married.

Fuck. I rested my head against the tub.

Why had that seemed like a good idea last night? It now left me with a terrible feeling in my stomach. It took a lot of will not to throw up again. I was filled with a terrible bought of regret.

That wasn't the wedding I'd wanted, or imagined while I was at the spa yesterday. I had no idea why I'd thought it was a good idea when he brought it up last night. Tears stung my eyes as I realized how awful this was.

"Sadie?" he called. I heard him stumble around in the bedroom as he got his glasses and threw on his robe. "Love, are you all right in there?"

I used my foot to shut the bathroom door, wishing he hadn't heard me. I choked back a sob, and willed him to go away. I had no idea what to say to him.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: You guys are absolutely amazing. SO FREAKING AWESOME! I've gotten 21 reviews in the past 24 hours. Can you do this for every chapter? Anyways. What do you think? I know there's a lot going on, and it's a roller-coaster-y chapter, but... I think it's okay. Let me know, PLEASE! In the meantime, you guys are really, so so fabulous. I'm working on the replies, they'll be done by tomorrow.

-.-.-.

A note to floral bouqet: Your review really hurt me, even though I tried my hardest not to be hurt. If you're still reading, you've read 41 chapters of what in your mind is terrible, shallow writing. Why waste your time like that? Also, I am not saying I won't finish the story if they don't review. I was getting few responses, and I know from hit counts that people are reading it! I wanted them to tell me what they thought. I got positive and negative responses, so they were being honest. And they're getting rewarded, with this chapter. You were being a coward, sending me that scathing review without leaving somewhere for me to reply to you, by being a sock puppet because you don't want to get a response. Does every author write about what they know? Did J.K. Rowling go to Hogwarts? Did Stephanie Meyer date a vampire? No. And I think I do a pretty fine job of capturing some of the emotions. Don't read if you don't like.


	42. Chapter 42

He came to the door. "Sadie?" he groaned. I could hear that he was hungover as well. "Are you all right? Can I come in?"

"I"m fine!" I said, trying to suppress the sounds of me crying.

"Let me in." he said. "You don't sound fine."

"No." I said. "I need a few minutes, okay?"

He didn't say anything but I knew he was waiting outside. It bothered me, but I tried to keep the crying silent. I felt my whole body get warm from all the horrible feelings inside of me.

A few minutes passed, and he nudged open the door. "Oh, love." he said, immediately kneeling down beside me. "What's wrong?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me.

I was sure I was a fright. I was wearing only my robe, which was partially undone. I'd just thrown up, I probably smelled disgusting. I was crying, I was sure my face was blotchy, and I could tell my hair needed to be tamed.

But I didn't want him anywhere near me. I rested my head on my knees. "We got married." I said.

He made a long, groan noise, but I couldn't tell what feelings he was trying to get out. "Yeah..." he sighed. He rubbed his forehead.

"Why did we do that? We're so stupid." I said. I thought about it all again, and the tears started to flow again.

"Sadie." he said. "It's not all that bad... I mean, we were going to get married anyways. Big weddings can be overrated."

I was trying to remain calm, but could tell I wasn't doing a very good job. "You don't... get it." I said.

"What don't I get?" 

"It wasn't supposed to happen yet!" I said.

"It was going to happen anyways, Sadie. It was just a little sooner than we had anticipated."

"A lot sooner than I anticipated." I corrected him. "I was expecting at least a year engaged. We've only been going out a few months."

"You said yes when I asked you to marry me." he said, and I could feel annoyance creeping into his voice.

"I said yes to agreeing to marry you. I wasn't ready to marry you yesterday."

"Well, I'm sorry." he said.

"I know you've already gotten your fairy tale wedding and don't care anymore. But it's my first time with all this stuff- I want to get to have my dad walk me down the aisle and Cor be my maid of honor and Lily be the flower girl. I want you to have met my brother and to have your kids there! Your kids! Ugh, Teddy's going to hate me again, and I've just got things right with him."

"I do too care. And if you were so opposed to it- then why didn't you say no in the first place? I wasn't forcing you to do anything."

"I don't know!" I said. "It wasn't a bad idea... Eloping just isn't for me. I guess I only saw the appeals of it, not the downsides, and acted on those. And now I'm left with so much regret."

"Oh." he said, and the annoyance was gone. It was full on anger now. He stood up. "I see. Marrying me is something you regret. Great."

I stood up too, but got dizzy. I braced the wall, so I could remain standing. "Harry, don't be like that." I pleaded. He left the bathroom, going into the kitchen part of the cottage. "I just mean that it would be so much easier if we'd waited, if we could have gone through everything in normal steps. I just feel like I should get the whole experience."

"Well, I feel like I've been cheated out of some stuff by being in a relationship with you too, Sadie."

His words hurt me. "Don't say something you regret, Harry." I begged.

"Haven't you, already?" he asked. "God, Sadie." he groaned. "Sometimes I feel like it was easier when it was just me. I may have been lonely, but at least I always knew what was going to happen. And then Teddy liked me. I was cheated out of three months of a good relationship with him. With a boy that's practically my son and it was your fault."

I had no idea where this was coming from. It wasn't even really relevant to what we were fighting about, but I knew that I was beyond pissed at him. I raised my hand and hit him in the face. He let out a spew of swears, but didn't hit back. I stared him down, and he walked out the door.

I dissolved into tears again, anger dissolving into pain and regret. Terrible, bitter feelings overwhelmed me, and what I really wanted was for him to come back and give me a hug and tell me he loved me. Because I loved him. And that was why I was in so much pain.

I curled into myself as I laid on the bed. My head was pounding, my chest and throat ached from crying. I felt like absolute shit. I clutched his pillow to me, breathing in his scent and wanting it to calm me down. I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself. It wasn't over. We loved each other, and would fix this eventually.

But eventually seemed like it might not come. I laid back in bed, pressing my fingers into my eyelids. I took some deep breaths, and turned away from the sun. I let myself fall asleep.

When I woke up, it was many hours later. I wasn't sure what time it was, exactly, but the sun was high in the sky. I still had a terrible headache, and was pretty nauseous. I could tell right away that he had not returned.

I got up, and put on real clothing this time. I had to go searching in the closet- finally finding a pair of his pajama pants to put on. I was terribly hungover. I wondered if this was the sort of hangover that could only be cured by drinking more. I went to the table and picked up the half full bottle of wine from Hannah.

The label was in French, but I began to decipher a little bit of it. It was not just wine- but contained another potion that, if my translation skills were correct, was not legal in England, just in France, for it's properties that lowered one's inhibitions. Fabulous.

That was why we had been so absolutely brain-dead last night. We weren't just drunk, we were pretty high as well. I sighed, angry. Hannah probably hadn't known, she didn't speak any French. She just thought she was giving us a nice bottle of wine. Even though I knew the cause of our actions, I didn't feel any better. It just made me feel a little sick to my stomach.

I wondered where he was. It had been hours, and he didn't even have his wallet with him. I started to worry, but knew he had his wand. He was fine, just probably sulking out at the beach or something.

I laid in bed a little while longer, nursing my headache and poor body. I turned on the TV, but was annoyed I couldn't understand any of the Spanish words. As the sun began to get lower in the sky, I started to worry more and more about where he was. He didn't have any money on him, and I wasn't even sure if he was wearing shoes. How far could he have gone without shoes? I wondered. He had to come back eventually. He hadn't eaten in hours, but then again, neither had I.

I felt terrible we were spending the last day of what had started out as a fabulous weekend apart, hungover, and angry at each other. It didn't seem right.

To distract myself, I took a shower, washing away the coat of grime that had settled on my skin. I turned the water as hot as I could get it, and let it trickle down my skin. My body was achey, another side effect of the potion. I wondered if he had any pain potions in his bags. I washed my hair with his shampoo, another comfort to me.

I heard the cottage door open, and knew he was the only one who knew how to get in. I stepped out of the shower and threw my robe on without even thouroughly drying off. I opened the bathroom door and launched myself at him, hugging him.

"Harry." I said, relief welling up inside me. He wrapped his arms around me, even though my very wet hair was getting him wet. I felt my eyes begin to tear again, and let them. He just held me for a minute or so. "I was worried."

"I'm sorry." he said. "I'm really sorry."

"Me too." I whispered. "I was terrible to you."

"I was an asshole myself." he admitted.

I leaned up and kissed him. I didn't know where to begin- we needed to talk about everything that had happened.

"Where did you go?" I asked. "You were gone for hours. And you didn't have your wallet with you."

"Well," he sighed. I noticed there were some bags at the door. "I got us some takeaway food. Why don't we sit down and eat while we talk. Have you eaten all day?"

I shook my head. "I didn't think I could stomach it. I've felt terrible." I told him.

He got us some silverware and we ate the food at the small table. "Maybe a glass of wine would be good for us, at this point?" he asked, picking up the wine from Hannah.

"No!" I said, grabbing it out of his hands. "I figured out why we were so crazy last night and why we're so sick today. This isn't just wine- it contains a Potion that's been banned in England, it's only available in France. It lowers your inhibitions and makes you act without any foresight."

He nodded. "I sort of figured something was amiss, after thinking about it this afternoon." he said. "You were right, that was crazy. I can't believe we did that."

He reached across the table and laced his fingers into mine. "Do you really feel like I ruined three months of your relationship with Teddy?" I asked. I couldn't meet his gaze. Out of all the awful things we said to each other today, that was the one that bothered me the most.

"I was upset, Sadie." he said. "I was upset and I didn't mean it. I know that while you might have been the trigger of his awful behavior, you didn't cause it. It wasn't your fault."

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Because... that's big. If that's how you feel... that could be a really big problem in our relationship."

"I know." he said. "But it's not how I feel. I'm really happy with how you handled the Teddy thing, especially recently."

I met his gaze, and he looked like he was being pretty honest. "Okay." I said.

"And I think you'll be happy to know, that I went to find the boat captain that married us. He can't legally marry us... so what he did last night was more... symbolic than real."

"Oh." I said. I was a little dizzy. That was a bit of a relief to me.

"And..." he sighed. "I've been thinking about what you said this morning. I know a lot of it was just stuff you said because you were upset, but a lot of it is what you're feeling. I don't want you to feel like I don't care about a wedding this time around. You deserve to have a wedding like you want to. Truthfully, I don't care if it's just our family and close friends together in my backyard, but you deserve the wedding you want."

"Thank you." I told him. "I didn't mean to spew all that at you, earlier."

"You were just upset." he said. "Rightfully so. I shouldn't have even brought it up- and if we hadn't had that wine I probably wouldn't have. It's too early for us to think about actually getting married, and I should meet your brother and have my kids be there. Those are important steps. I want our relationship to work, and it's not if we're not on the same page."

I nodded. "Yeah." I said. "I think we're in a place where we know that we're going to be married someday. But I think we need a little more time before we can commit to forever."

"You're totally right." he told me. "I was rushing it. I might have even been rushing it with the engagement. This whole weekend has fallen to shit. I'm sorry."

I got out of my seat and perched myself on his lap, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "This weekend was amazing." I told him. "I mean, minus the fight this morning. But I don't regret it. It's brought a lot of things to light."

He nodded. "Did I ask you too soon?" he asked. "I'm afraid I did. Are you ready to tell your parents Thursday when we go for dinner?"

I thought about it. They certainly wouldn't react badly, but thinking about it with a clearer head, I knew they would be a little concerned. They only wanted the best for me. But I didn't want to hide it from them. "I..." I started. "I'm okay with telling people we're engaged, as long as they know it's going to be a long engagement."

"Okay." he said. "Whatever you're comfortable with."

I kissed him, and rested my head on his shoulder. I was glad we had pretty much resolved everything. We spent the evening inside, as a storm had rolled in. Once morning came, we packed up and started the journey back to England.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: You guys blew me away again! You're all really awesome. I'm going to finish up replying to reviews tonight. I actually wasn't planning on posting this today, but woke up covered in hives so I didn't go to school and had time to write. I hope you all like it. I think it's a middle ground- some people said they were getting married too soon. A big huge thank you for all the support recently- please keep it up!


	43. Chapter 43

When we got back to his house, I felt relieved. I felt almost at home. I took off my shoes and went upstairs to lay on his bed. The long trip had tired me out, and his kids wouldn't be home until later. Al was at school and Lily was with Molly.

He sat down next to me, going through his mail. "It's good to be home." he said.

"Do you think we should tell my parents before dinner on Thursday?" I asked.

"Why?" he asked.

"Well, then we wouldn't have to do it with the kids there and I'm not so sure it's a great first impression with my brother, you know? Like, hello, my name is Harry and I'm marrying your sister... it's nice to meet you."

"Or we could... forget the engagement until Christmas."

I shook my head. That was not what I wanted. I just didn't want them to react poorly. I wanted them to be happy for me, not concerned that I was rushing it. "No." I said.

"I think that's what you want without wanting to say it." he said. "You're nervous people are going to judge you because we're engaged so quickly. You've said yes, and I know it. Everyone else doesn't need to know yet. Like you said, it will be a long engagement. We can start planning the wedding then. It's okay, Sadie. Why don't you just keep the ring on a chain around your neck and we will tell everyone at Christmas?"

I looked in his eyes, trying to discern what was there. He did not look angry or annoyed at me. Not at all. I could just see a lot of love and concern. I nodded. "Okay." I said.

He got up and went into his bureau. He pulled out a soft piece of leather cord, and returned to the bed with me. He found my hand, and I admired the ring on it for the last time until Christmas. Then, he plucked the ring off of my finger, and slipped it on to the cord. I sat up, and he fastened it so it hung low and would be covered by my clothing. But I knew it was there- it had a cold presence against my warm skin.

"Thank you." I said, and kissed his hand.

"You're welcome."

His kids came home later, and I went back to my flat to get ready for the week ahead. It would be a long one. Cor wasn't there when I got home, but returned later. We made plans to go out to dinner when we got out of work tomorrow to catch up on things, since I was so exhausted.

It was good to do, and I was glad we had made the plan when we walked into a small restaurant in Muggle London. Here, we wouldn't have to worry about whispering and not revealing too much information. We ordered our food, and she began to fill me in about Keith.

He was fabulous, according to her. Everything she had ever wanted. They had talked this weekend, and she would move in with him on December 1st. That worked out well for me, as I would probably be moved into Harry's by then too.

"So tell me about how lovely Spain was." she said.

I wanted to badly to talk about what had happened this weekend, but couldn't. Cor was my best friend, and I decided to go for it. "You can't tell anyone." I told her. "Not a soul."

She looked more serious now. "Oh, all right." she said. "What... happened?"

"Well, he asked me to marry him."

"Oh my God!" she gushed. "Where's the ring?"

"Hold on." I said.

"You did not tell that man no." she said.

"No, I didn't." I told her. "But I didn't exactly say yes."

She groaned. "Sadie."

"I said yes to the marriage bit, but we decided yesterday we're not going to make it public until Christmas. I'm afraid my parents might think we're rushing things a bit and it lets me not have to be with him to tell the Weasleys."

She nodded. "I understand that... a little. Was there a ring?" 

I slowly took the rope it hung on out of my shirt, and placed it near her on the table. She picked it up and examined it. "Wow..." she said. "This is beautiful. He has really fine taste."

"Yeah, he does." I said. "There's more."

"Oh, God." she said. "Please, don't be pregnant."

I shook my head. "I"m not." I said. "We drank some wine that was spiked with a potion that basically took away all our foresight and messed us up... and decided it would be a good idea to elope."

Her eyes opened wide. "What?" she asked.

I nodded. "Of course, none of it was legal as we found out when we sobered up, but it made for a really intense day on Sunday."

"How did he feel about it?" 

"Well, I don't think he cared that much about it." I told her. "At first. Because he's already had the big, perfect wedding, but I haven't. So that's what I felt like, he'd just been trying to make things easy. And, of course, we yelled at each other and threw around some mean things because of our anger and regret, but eventually we decided we want a very long engagement."

"Oh my God." she repeated. "You certainly had a rough weekend..."

"Spain was wonderful besides that." I said, and we both laughed sarcastically.

"I bet it was." she sipped her coffee.

"You'll be my maid of honor, yeah?" I asked.

She grinned, and I could almost see her eyes start watering. "Really?"

"Of course." I said. "I mean, it might be a year off, but... will you?" 

"Oh God, Sadie, I'd love to." she said. "That'd be amazing. I... thank you." She hugged me.

I hugged her back, giving her a tight squeeze."Thank you." I said.

"Are you going to make me wear an awful ugly dress so you get to be the most beautiful? Because I totally will. It can be vomit green and absolutely shapeless if you'd like."

I chuckled at her. "I don't think that will be necessary." I said to her. "But I'll talk to Harry and let you know."

She nodded. "Oh, this is so cool. You're going to be his wife." she gushed.

"I know." I said. "And then I can have a baby." It was the first time I had expressed wanting a baby to her.

"Yeah." she said. "When will you have one?" 

"As soon as I can." I told her. "As soon as I'm told I'm getting the promotion, we'll begin trying for one."

"Does Keith know?" she asked.

"No." I said. "I don't think... it's really his business."

"No, it's not." she agreed. "But... he will know about six months before you do. And then you can get started."

"Really?"

She nodded. We finished up dinner and got home. We did have work early in the morning. I stopped in the Leaky Cauldron, I wanted to talk to Hannah. I told Cor to go home, I'd be there soon.

Hannah was in the back, doing stalk. "Hey!" She said. "What're you doing here?"

"Just came to say hi." I lied.

"Oh, well, hello then." she said. "How was Spain?"

"It was..." I tried to think about how I should put it. "It had its moments."

"Oh?" she asked, turning to pay all her attention to me now. "What do you mean?"

"Uhm..." I didn't want to make her feel that bad. "I wouldn't start stocking that wine full time or anything."

"What was wrong with it?" she asked.

"It's kind of illegal in England." I told her. "It contains a potion that's only legal in France."

"You got arrested?" she asked, her eyes bugging out.

"No, no!" I said. "Nothing like that. Thankfully."

I could see her going pale- she felt terrible. "Why is it illegal?"

"It makes you do things that your normal mental filter would tell you not to do... you know..."

"What'd you do?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter."

"Are you still together? Oh, I'm feel terrible." 

"Yes, of course we are. And I don't' want to make you feel bad." I told her. "I just don't think you should order anymore bottles."

"No, I definitely won't. The man who gave me the bottle was a scam then, I'm so sorry, Sadie. He told me it was a bottle of high class French wine they were finally selling to England. I thought it was a nice bottle." 

"Don't worry, Hannah. It was lucky then, that we were the ones who ended up with it. I poured it down a drain after I found out what was in it."

She nodded. "Can I give you dinner, or something?"

"Cor just took me out for my birthday." I told her. "But thanks."

"All right." she said. "Again, I'm so sorry."

I hugged her, and she hugged back. I wasn't angry at her. I just wanted her to know.

When I got back up to the flat, Cor was waiting for me. "I just talked to Keith." she said. "He'll look in your charts tomorrow, but he's fairly sure they've already given a month for your next promotion, so if you want to book your wedding around that, he can tell you."

"Thank you." I said.

We went to work in the morning, and Keith called me into his office. He had tea waiting for us. "Hey Sadie." he said.

"Good morning." I yawned.

"Well, I've been meaning to get you in here for a week. How would you feel about dropping your shifts as a normal Healer?" 

Two months ago, that seemed like the worst thing in the world. Now, after I'd seen how much I loved to be a Head Healer, I was all for it. I loved organizing schedules and talking to people, but I got to interact with patients more than I thought. I got the really bad ones and the ones when we were busy. I also really liked my crew, and it would be beneficial to be the one in charge of them all the time. "That would be awesome." I told him. "I would really like that."

"Good." he said. "Cor told me last night you and Harry are going to have kids."

I nodded. "Yeah, we would really like one. I mean, he's got his hands full, but we'll have one." I said. "No rush, obviously, I'm still young and he has a few baby wrangling years left in him."

"Of course." he said. "I might ask Cor, once she moves in. I'd really like a kid or two, and I'm getting older."

He was even older than Harry was. "Yeah." I said.

"Well, it looks like they'd like to promote you about next November next year." he said. "So, interpret that information how you want to."

I nodded. "Thank you, Keith." I said.

"Anytime, Sadie." he said. "You did set me up with Cor."

I smiled. That was definitely one of my better decisions. I went and did the rest of my shift, before going back to the flat. I went to bed, my last night of twenty seven. Tomorrow I would be twenty eight.

I rested easily, thinking about Harry and dreaming of our future. I saw a nice, small wedding at his house next fall and my stomach getting big with his baby. It was a wonderful dream, and I didn't want to wake up. But I did, to see Harry standing over me. "Happy Birthday!" Lily and Al were with him as well. I smiled. He held breakfast, which looked like french toast as I rubbed sleep out of my eyes. Thank God I wore good pajamas.

I sat up and we all sat on the floor, eating french toast and scrambled eggs and juice. It was an amazing meal. "What time is it?" I asked.

"Six thirty." he told me. "You've got plenty of time to get to work."

Al passed me my present. It was a purse, black with colored stripes, it was very fashionable. "Mum helped us pick it out." Al said. I was touched by that. I reached inside it and found a small note on a slip of paper.

Thank you. It read in Ginny's handwriting. I was happy, and knew that this meant acceptance from Ginny.

"Sadie." Lily said, "It's your turn to tell us what you're thankful for."

I nodded, and took a minute to think. "Lily." I said, grabbing her hand. "I'm so glad you're in my life. You are such a happy person and you're really great with your art. I can't wait to watch you grow up. Thank you for being so accepting of me in your life."

She smiled, and gave me a hug. I knew it was Al's turn next. "Al. Thank you so much for breaking your leg." I told him. They all laughed. "I know that sounds terrible, but without it I never would have met your father. And you- you're such a sweet kid. I always know where I stand with you... and it's great."

"I'm glad I broke my leg too." he admitted.

And then I looked to Harry. I grabbed his hand in both of mine. "And you." I said. "Harry. I have no idea what I would do without you. You've seen me at my best and at my worst, but you keep coming back. I'd sort of given up, but then you came and made me so much better. You treat me so well, and I feel like... like we're a team and when we're together we could do anything."

He leaned in and kissed me, quickly because his kids were right there, but I knew it was okay. "I love you." he murmured.

"I love you too." I said.

We would make it, no matter what happened at dinner tonight nor what would happen when we told his other children we would be getting married. In such a short time, we'd managed to stay together for so much and still loved each other. We'd survived resistance from Teddy, a miscarriage, an elopement that went terribly wrong the next day, and everything from Ginny. And we'd survived.

That all made anything else we could solve look like nothing. I could feel the ring from him, resting coolly against my chest, and there was so much promise there. I knew, deep down, we would make it.

The end.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Weren't expecting it, were you? Yeah, I wasn't really either until I wrote it and it feels right. THIS IS NOT THE REAL END. There are two epilogue chapters that will come later this week. I hope that the pacing wasn't too bad. I struggled with it. And I hope everyone is satisfied- the wedding will come next. Because we are so close to the end, I would really appreciate as much feedback as possible to make the next two chapters end the story on a positive note. So please, review, and let's go out on a good note. Thanks for everything, lovelies.


	44. Chapter 44

It had been a long night, and by the time morning came, I was ready to be back at the house. Our house. But as I drove there with my parents, I began to get nervous. 

I was getting married today.

We had decided to do the traditional thing. We had spent the night before separate, the last time we would have to be apart. To me, that meant at my parents' house in the city, in my childhood bedroom. He had gotten to stay home with the children, enjoying their final night without officially having me as a member. I'd been living there since New Years, but now it was official.

And that felt good. I wanted it to be official. I'd been living there eight months. It was the second to last week of August, and thankfully not too hot. One of Harry's jobs, staying home, was to make sure that the house would be all ready for the wedding. This meant making sure that the tent was set up in the backyard, all the chairs and tables were out, and there was a fire ready for the night.

I knew Cor would be there already. As my maid of honor, she was in charge of making sure everything was perfect. I trusted her.

We pulled into the driveway, next to Harry's car. It felt good to be home, and from the front, the house looked calm. I knew it would be less calm inside, and outside would be crazy. Dad went in and made sure I could get to the bedroom fine. Mum stayed with me, getting stuff out of the trunk of the car. Dad gave us the signal, and we walked towards the house. She grabbed my hand. "I am so happy for you." she said.

I just nodded. "Thank you." I whispered. The house was busy as I walked up the stairs. Harry and the groomsmen had been banished to his office, and I got the bedroom to get ready in. I hoped he'd made the bed, but wasn't too worried.

Cor descended on me as I got into the bedroom. "Good morning, sweetie." she said. I was afraid she might be taking the job a little too serious, with a clipboard in her hands. "You need to shower and get ready so your hair and makeup can be done in fourty."

The wedding was over three hours away. "Cor, I don't know if I'll be crying." I told her. "Is it really wise to put makeup on that early?"

"I made sure there's waterproof." she said. "And extra for touch-ups." I hugged her, it seemed like she'd thought of everything. She hugged me back, extra tight. I could almost feel her baby bump, she was two months pregnant. I was the only one that knew, other than Keith, because she hadn't wanted to steal my thunder. "I've got it all under control." she told me. "Now, you just do what I tell you when I tell you, and in three hours you will be a beautiful bride."

"Thank you."I said, and my eyes were already starting to tear up. "You are the absolute best."

"Tell me that in December when I'm bridezilla." she laughed. She and Keith had decided on a small wedding celebration in December, before she got too big.

"I will." I said. Then she forced me to get in the shower, as I was on a tight schedule.

While I was in the shower, in the warm water, I finally got to stop to think. I was so happy for today. We had spent months planning it, wondering who exactly to invite, who to sit with whom, how to do this, and now it was all beyond our control. There was nothing more we could do about the situation except love each other. And sadly, that was the easy party.

This was the type of wedding that I wanted. I had my beautiful dress in the closet, and my dad would walk me down the aisle. Lily was flower girl, and Cor was my maid of honor. Elise and Hannah were my other bridesmaids.

Harry had Ron, Neville, and Teddy as his groomsmen. He had insisted on Teddy as a groomsman, saying that Teddy deserved it. I agreed. He'd come a long way, and most days we got along pretty well. It wasn't perfect, and we had our moments, but there was no more hate. I'd been helping him with Healer applications this summer, and some days there was even some love.

I wanted the family to be partly mine. I wanted it just as much as I wanted Harry to be mine as well.

Cor knocked on the door. "You've got two minutes until you put us behind schedule- don't make me readjust the schedule, Sadie!"

I quickly washed the soap from my hair and dried off. I put on a silk robe that had appeared in the bathroom and my way out. The woman we'd hired to do my hair and makeup was here, and began her work right away. I didn't want anything crazy. My dress was not completely traditional, it provided enough memorability to the look that I wanted classic makeup to balance it out. And I wanted my hair to be curled loosely.

She set out to help me achieve this, and I had lots of company. As she curled, tinted, and beautified, Elise and Hannah showed up and got dressed. I'd chosen a soft blue for my bridesmaids. It was August, so I could technically get away with anything, but I felt it suited them all. I'd let them choose what they wanted to wear other than that. Cor had picked something with a bit of a fuller skirt to conceal any belly that might have grown. Elise chose a one shoulder thing, and Hannah chose an off the shoulder dress. I thought they'd all done a pretty good job. Lily was wearing a smaller version of Cor's in the same color.

They all looked wonderful. I was starting to get emotional about it all, as I looked in the mirror and saw how nice I looked. Lily came in and just sat next to me. She didn't really say anything, and eventually left the room for awhile.

"Ready to get dressed?" Cor asked, what felt like ages later. She got my dress out of my closet and helped me into it. It was my dream dress. We'd found it six months ago when we were shopping for her. I knew it was the one right away.

It had an impossibly tiny waist and hadn't fit when I bought it. But I'd been really good for the last threee months. I'd lost fifteen pounds and worked out twice a week. I was getting my body more into shape before we started trying to have a baby.

Which would be soon. I was set to get a promotion in a little over two months, and if we were pregnant by then we'd be really excited. I would stop working as soon as we knew and stay home with Lily for my pregnancy, and stay out of work until the baby was about four months old. At which point, the baby would probably be put in some sore of day care. Or my mum would watch her.

Other than the tiny waist, the dress gathered into one, circular neckline. It had a lot of lace details. I had fallen in love with it. Once Cor finished zipping me and doing a few last minute alterations to it, she took me to the mirror. My mum was back, next to me, and started to cry.

"Mum." I said. She was going to make me cry. Elise came next to me.

"She's not going to stop until the wedding's over." Elise told me. "Don't even try to get her to, it'll just make things worse."

"I'm sorry!" My mum said. "I'm just so happy for you, Sadie. You look so wonderful."

I felt a few tears in my eyes as she hugged me. "Thank you, Mum." I said, holding her tight. Emotions were running pretty high today. I still had to put my veil on, but that would wait until it was almost time to go.

There was a knock on the door, and Hannah went to see who it was. "Oh, hello, Molly." she said, and let her in. I panicked a little. Even after all this time, I still didn't feel comfortable around Molly. I definitely hadn't expected her to come up here, though.

She came in and I realized how crowded it was in here. Hannah left on her own, and Cor took Elise out. That left just me, Molly, and my mum.

"You look beautiful." Molly said.

"Thank you." I said, smoothing out my skirt. "Molly, this my mother. Mum, this is Molly..."

Mum knew who she was and I didn't want to have explain it again, so they shook hands. My mum left my side to go get my veil out. There wasn't that much longer until I would have to get down to the wedding. I was curious as to what Molly wanted.

"I just wanted to come say thank you for making him happy again." she said. "After everything that happened four years ago, I wasn't sure he would ever get to be smiling and... full of life again. But you brought that back to him. So, thank you for that."

I smiled. "I'm glad I could." I admitted. "I do love him."

"And he loves you." she said. "And I would like to apologize. I know that we haven't always seen eye to eye on things, but I assure you it's only because I wanted to protect him. I see now that you have his best interests in mind."

I nodded. "Thank you for coming to tell me this." I said. I reached out and gave her a hug. She hugged me back, and it was nice. I was genuinely glad that she had come.

"Well, I should get downstairs. But it was good to say that."

When she'd left, my bridesmaids quickly streamed back in. They did the final touches on everyone and everything. Hannah came back with our flowers, that Neville had been working on. There was a knock on the door and I was really nervous this time. I wondered who it might be.

Cor answered the door. "Oh, come in." she said. I turned around and all the children were there. Teddy, Jay, Al and Lily stood.

"Hello, guys." I said, wondering what they were all doing. I couldn't read their faces.

"We wanted to give you this." Teddy said, handing me a small box. It was a jewelery box, and I accepted it from him.

I opened it slowly, curious, but wanting to take in the moment. I saw that is was a necklace. The charm on the necklace was a circular ring. Six chips of stones were in it. On the top were two close together- an opal and a ruby, for me and Harry. Then, there were four other chips at the bottom. A diamond for Teddy, a ruby for Jay, a garnet for Al, and another opal for Lily. It was a family ring. "Oh, my..." I said.

This meant acceptance into their family. We'd worked really hard over the last year to make everything work out as we meshed into a family. I struggled to find the place that didn't overpower Ginny's role but was distinctly my own. It was hard, but through this, my work paid off. Tears sprang to my eyes. "You're so lovely." I said, beginning to cry. "All of you." Al came over and hugged me. Al was always my rock.

I got a hug from each of them, ending with Teddy. "I love you." I told him.

"You too." he whispered, quietly. My heart soared with the greatest feeling of accomplishment. I belonged to them now.

"Thank you, all of you." I said.

"You look beautiful, Sadie." Al told me. "Pa will be so happy."

I smiled through my tears. Jay helped me fasten the necklace on and I admired it in the mirror. "We should get back downstairs." Teddy said. "We'll see you in a few, Sadie."

I nodded and let them go. Lily stayed with me, clinging to my hand.

"That was so sweet." my mum said, as she helped me fasten my veil.

"I know." I said.

"Was that your idea, Lily?" Mum asked. Mum had taken a liking to Lily, especially.

"No." she said honestly. "It was the boys'. I think Jay."

I would have to remember that. It meant the world to me. I had on my somethings borrowed, new, old and blue. I had borrowed my mother's veil. The dress was new. My shoes were vintage. My flowers were wrapped in a blue cloth. I was all set.

My dad knocked on the door and came in. "Oh, ducky." he said, giving me a hug. "You are a vision."

I laughed. "Thanks, Dad."

"I've been informed by your future husband that it's nearly time to hand you over." he said and I laughed. I started to get very nervous and tried to contain my shakes.

"Did you go talk to him?"

He nodded. "He's a bit nervous." he said. "But you are too. I think he'll be better when he can see you."

I felt the same exact way, so I completely understood. I just wanted to get to him. Without him, I was a ball of nerves. "Yeah." I breathed.

"It's time to get downstairs." Cor said, checking the last thing before the ceremony off her check board. I took one last look in the mirror. There were only a few minutes before I would be somebody's wife. It was a scary thought, but I tried to embrace it with open arms.

All of my bridesmaids went down the stairs before me. Cor had put herself in charge of managing Lily, and I held my dad's hand. I wanted both of my parents to walk me down the aisle. We stayed in the kitchen as the last few people went into the tent and sat down. Cor went in to assess the situation, and returned a minute later.

"Well, it's go time." she said, smiling. I hugged all of my bridesmaids before we sent Lily out with her basket of flowers. Hannah was next, then Elise. "You'll do amazing." Cor told me, before walking across the patio into the tent.

We counted to fifteen, before my parents grabbed my arms. "Ready, ducky?" my dad asked, and all I could do was nod. I crossed the patio, and went into the tent.

I was first overwhelmed by how many people there were. Surely, we hadn't invited this many people- but as I looked around, I knew every face. Brynne was sitting in the back, it was the first time I'd ever seen her in something other than Healer robes. She looked nice.

I saw a handful of Weasleys. When decided who to invite and who to leave out, we'd reached the compromise that we would invite all the Weasleys and let them decide who would show up. The only two that had declined were the two oldest brothers, and I was not hurt at all. Percy, and George had actually made a bit of an effort to get to know me. Of course, Ginny was not invited, but she had sent a card saying she wished us well. She'd given birth to a son, Remy, about a month ago.

Finally, I looked up when I was about halfway down the aisle. He was staring at me, an intense look of love all across his face. It made me want to run down the aisle just to be nearer to him, but I had the rest of the journey to make first. It felt like it was a very slow walk, far too long. Once I got there, I handed my bouquet of ivory and blue flowers to Cor, and my parents gave me away.

I finally got to meet eyes with him. He looked impossibly handsome today. The suit he'd chosen was well cut and he looked so happy. The wrinkles at his eye and gray in his hairs were easily overlooked today, and all I could see was pure love. I grabbed his hands as the vicar began the ceremony.

My hands shook in his, but he held strong. The vicar did a short, traditional magical reading that was amusing, before asking us to exchange vows. It was his turn first.

"Sadie Adeline." he said. When he was talking to me, directly this time, I felt there was no one here around us. It was just him and me. "Before I met you, I never thought I'd get here. I thought I was done. And then we met at the hospital that night and my life has been so much better. You are an incredibly beautiful person, on the inside and the outside. You put my children first, which is something I am so grateful for. I can't wait to have a life with you. I love you." His eyes were shining with tears and one rolled down his face. I brushed it off.

"I love you too." I murmured. When it was my turn, I grabbed his hand a little tighter. I was shaking and not far from crying. "Harry James. You are the greatest thing that ever happened to me. You've been my rock for the last year and a half and I know I can always depend on you. You've seen me during my best times and during the worst, but you always come back. We've been through so much in such a short period of time, but we got through it and that makes me really hopeful for the future. I love you." I broke down now, and began to cry. I couldn't hold them back any longer without looking like a gargoyle.

"I love you too." he said.

The vicar had us exchange rings, but my hand was shaking too much. Harry helped steady me. The ceremony was almost over.

"Do you, Harry James Potter, take Sadie Adeline Lewis to be your wife?"

He looked at me and grinned through his tears. "I do.'

"Do you, Sadie Adeline Lewis, take Harry James Potter to be your husband?" 

I knew it was all on me now. I took a deep breath through my tears, met Harry's eyes, and said "I do."

"You may now kiss the bride." And we leaned in and our lips touched. I remembered our first kiss, last July, in the park in London. We'd rolled down a hill and I'd landed on top of him. Never, then, would I have guessed this would be where we were today.

He grabbed my hand, and we processed out, back into the house, and to our bedroom. We had fifteen minutes to ourselves while they turned the tent into tables for dinner. We just ran until we got to his room and flopped on the bed, giggling even though we still had tears in our eyes.

"We're married." I said, tracing my hand across his cheek.

"You're my wife." he grinned.

"That's so strange." I buried my head in his shoulder. "Ahh, I love you."

"You look so beautiful, love." he said, nudging me to sit up so I wouldn't muss my hair, I was sure. "That dress is amazing. Your waist is so tiny."

"I know." I said, grinning. He'd been the one training me to help me get healthier. I was not skinny, now, but I definitely needed to lose that weight. He placed his hands around my waist and pulled me close to him.

"I think it was a lovely ceremony." he said. "My best one yet."

I laughed. "Well, that's good." I kissed him. "Molly came to see me."

"She said she would." he told me. "Were you upset?"

"No." I said. "I thought it was nice. I was just a little confused at the time."

He nodded. "I'm glad she did it. And I see you got the family ring."

I smiled and touched it. It reminded me of the two months I wore my engagement ring this way. "That was the absolute sweetest thing that anyone has ever done." I told him.

He nodded. "The boys came to me and said they wanted to give you something on the wedding day. So we all decided on that."

It brought tears to my eyes just thinking about it, so I didn't speak. I just smiled.

"Are you all packed and ready to make our escape?" he asked.

Instead of going straight to our honeymoon, we were spending a night in Scotland. Then tomorrow we would come home. We wanted to stay home until the kids were off at school. Al was leaving in less than two weeks and I was struggling with that. I didn't want him to leave.

Then, after we said goodbye to the kids and Lily was at Molly's, we would get to enjoy our honeymoon. We were spending it in Egypt, ten days away. Hopefully, I would come back pregnant.

"Yes." I told him. "I am."

There was a knock on the door. I'd asked Cor not to let anyone see us while we were in here, to give us a few minutes to catch our breath. Harry got up and opened it. It was Cor. "I don't mean to interrupt but I think it's about time for you to make your grand re-entrance. Are you ready?"

I nodded and stood up to fix my dress. Harry grabbed my hand. "We're good." I announced.

"It was beautiful." Cor said, as she led us down the stairs. The clipboard had resurfaced and I looked at all the things we had to do tonight. "I was crying there at the end."

I smiled, and reached out to give her a hug. "Thank you." I told her. She just nodded, but I thought she might cry again.

"Don't get me off schedule." she said, through a smile, and opened the doors for us. She'd sneak back into the tent in a minute. We walked into the tent and everybody clapped for us. He led me to our table, a small one in the center of the tent. It was cocktail hour, so someone handed me a glass of wine but I set it down. I would only drink wine with dinner tonight, I didn't want to drink too much. I wanted to remember every detail about tonight. We were supposed to mill around, so we did. We said hello to all of my family first. They were all extremely happy for me, even my brother who had expressed some concern when we first announced we were engaged. He thought we were moving too fast, but he'd been with Maggie for six years before they had tied the knot. Two extremes, but today he was smiling.

Brynne and Cor were talking. It was like a little reunion, since we hadn't all been in the same place at the same time in months. We all worked at different stages as Healers now, so it wasn't often we saw each other. Brynne told me she was happy for me, and I could see she really meant it.

We worked our way around the tent, and ended with his kids. I thanked the boys again for my necklace.

Then, it was time to return to our seats. Dinner was being served. It was delicious. We'd chosen steak, roasted potatoes, green beans and bread. I had to stop eating because I didn't want to get lethargic, but I easily could have eaten another plate full. I eyed our wedding cake, in a corner. It was a beautiful, round traditional cake with blue accents. On the inside, it was alternating white and chocolate with chocolate and raspberries. The top layer would be saved for us to enjoy on our first anniversary, and I couldn't wait to dive into the bottom layers. I wanted something sweet to balance out my savory meal.

But first we had to dance a little. He led me out for our first dance. The song was something he chose. I'd never heard of it before, but I listened to the lyrics as he spun me. It was a beautiful song. It was talking about love and second chances and really fit us.

Our wedding wasn't the most glamorous. It didn't have the most people, security on it was pretty tight. The food wasn't ritzy, it was just real food and delicious. But is was us. We were happy, surrounded by people who loved us. This was the perfect start to our marriage.

As people began to filter out, come to say goodbye, we got a moment of peace. Cor had given us forty minutes before we had to be on our way, so we were enjoying the last few moments of the wedding.

We were standing at the edge of the tent. His arms were wrapped around my waist, and mine were around his neck. Cool air came in and felt nice on my flushed skin. "I love you." He said. "I feel like we're in for a very good time."

"I agree." I said. "I love you too." I smiled, and pressed a kiss into his lips.

Author's Note: Well, here it is. The moment I think a lot of you have been waiting for! I really hope you like it. Please, let me know. I'm sorry it took so long to get out, this is about twice the length of a normal chapter and harder to write. I hope I did it justice :) The first, small chapter of my new story is up, if anyone is looking for a tiny something to tie them over for the next chapter. Anyways, please, I would love to hear what you think!


	45. Chapter 45

I was getting ready to clock out of work. The small vial of potion weighed heavy in my pocket. I wanted desperately to get home to test if I was pregnant or not.

Last month, we had tried, and failed. It was a terrible day when we found out. I hadn't felt pregnant, but clung to hope that just maybe... but a negative test had left us sad. The negative was not for lack of trying.

But this month, I felt differently. I felt like I had over a year ago, when I'd been pregnant for those few short days. I was tired and sore. But I had waited to test. I wanted to be sure. And now that it was an appropriate day, I was ready to go home and test. Work had been terribly long and drawn out. While I normally loved my job, today all I could think about was getting home.

Harry would already be home, and we would probably have to wait until Lily was asleep to test. If it was a negative, and I'd been imagining it all, then I would want to be able to talk about it. I hated having to put up a front around his kids, but knew it was necessary.

I Floo'd home, and he was waiting with a plate of food for me. Ham and pasta, one of Lily's favorite meals. I actually wasn't that hungry, but I picked at it. Lily was just cleaning up painting, and about to get ready for bed. I was antsy, but controlled myself. As soon as she was asleep, we ran into our bedroom and he shut the door.

"Ready?" I asked.

He nodded. "Sadie." he said. "It's all right either way."

I nodded. "Yeah, of course." I dismissed. I set the test up and now we had to wait. We sat on the bed, and I flashed back to the very first time I'd had to do this. Alone. Thank God, he was here now. He held my shaking hand.

It could feel it display, and looked down.

Pregnant.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and looked to him. He made me stand up, and wrapped his arms around me. I knew he was cautious. We both knew so well that a positive pregnancy test did not equal a baby. But it was good news. We had no reason to believe that with my body, we couldn't have a baby.

I felt tears of joy sliding down my face. "I'm going to be a mom." I said, burying my head in the crook of his neck. He rubbed my back. "I'm so happy." I told him. "This is the greatest thing, ever."

"Yes it is." he said. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Being pregnant felt so right. I worked through my first trimester, because I hadn't really told anyone. I wanted to make sure this baby was sticking around. I told Keith and Cor, and my Mum, but we kept it from everyone else for awhile.

I was hit with some pretty bad morning sickness, but managed to keep it controlled during work. I actually lost weight for a few weeks. But it started to come back after my thirteenth week.

And then I got to stay home. I had been offered the promotion of Executive Healer, and delayed it for a one year sabatical. The end of this would be right about when the baby turned three months old. My mother would probably take care of the baby.

But for now, I stayed home with Lily. She didn't need to go to Molly's anymore, which I knew put Molly out a little, but I was okay. It was great time to bond with Lily, and let her get used to the idea of a new baby. She went to a preschool in the village three days a week for part of the day, which gave me time to do the grocery shopping or take a nap. And since it was winter, Ginny was off a lot. Lily spent time with her, but she would have rather stayed home.

We told everyone during the Christmas holidays.

It was no secret that we wanted a baby, but it still was not completely openly accepted. Al seemed happy enough, as he always did. Jay did too. But I could feel a little apprehension from Teddy, even though I thought we'd worked through that. I tried to write him letters about what was going on, how the baby was doing and all, but I didn't know if it had helped him at all. I didn't know what would help him, but Harry was impressed with my dedication to it. We were a family. He was my stepson. I wanted him to be as happy as I was.

My mum and dad had been really happy when I told them in November, but my siblings were happy to. Because they were both parents, they understood how happy I was.

And I was so happy. As I got further into the second trimester, I was getting very sad this would be my only time through pregnancy. I wished it was twins, but it most definitely wasn't. I'd actually taken a few potions that would increase one's chance at twins, but they didn't work. That was probably for the best, two babies would be a lot.

When I felt the baby move for the first time, and it was one of the greatest days of my life. "This is amazing." I whispered to him, as we laid in bed that night. His hand was over my stomach but I knew he couldn't feel anything yet. It was too early. My stomach had just started to pop out, but I really just looked fat at this point.

"Isn't it?" he asked.

"Should we find out the baby's sex?" I asked. I knew I had an appointment with my Healer in a few days and they would ask then.

"It's up to you." he said. "I've always known, but I think both ways are exciting."

I thought about it. I was getting a girl vibe off of the baby, but I couldn't tell for sure. Knowing would be great- there'd been a lot of pressure on me to find out. Cor had found out a few weeks ago she was having a girl. She and Keith decided she would be named Leah.

That was another positive about finding out- being able to know what name we would use for certain. We'd kicked around some names, but it was hard. All of his other children had been named after great people, but I did not want to name my child after someone who I never had any connection with and he understood that. Plus, all of the people he really wanted a tribute to had been covered.

But I was only doing this once. "I think a surprise would be nice." I told him.

"Then a surprise it will be."

We spent the winter renovating the house. It would be too much work to renovate completely, but we needed more space. At first, Harry had offered to give up his office to make a bedroom for one of his kids. While most of the year we would only need room for two kids rooms, during the summer we needed five. And I really didn't want them to feel like the baby replaced them. I wanted to make sure they could still have bedrooms.

So I wrote to Al. I asked him how much he would object to having his bedroom moved to the attic. The attic wasn't currently finished, but that's what we would renovate. If he moved to the attic, then Teddy and Jay would share a room on the second floor. Lily would get to keep her room, and Jay would move into Teddy's room and then Al and Jay's old room would be the nursery.

Al wrote back and told me he would love to have his own room in the attic. I was really glad, because that eliminated a lot of worries I'd been having. Al said he was happy about the baby, too.

Lily was adjusting to the idea of it as well. As my belly got bigger and bigger, she liked to feel where the baby was kicking. I liked to show it off.

Being pregnant was bliss, to me. I was definitely gaining weight, but all of it went to my stomach. I was getting large, but I wasn't too sore yet. I could feel the baby moving and was beginning to connect to him or her. I thought it was her, but I had all the symptoms of carrying a boy. I was carrying low, all the weight went to my stomach, and I had a terrible craving for all things sour. I wanted sour Muggle candy all the time, and took many walks into the village to get it. I felt a good connection to Harry as well. He loved me being pregnant. It'd been over ten years since he had a wife pregnant and sharing it with him. Ginny's pregnancy with Lily had been spent mostly without him.

It was nice to be pregnant at the same time as Cor. We got to trade pregnancy secrets and how we managed to get through the days. She worked up until about seven months. Healers' days were just too long to go through later in pregnancy.

And as she left, Brynne announced that she was pregnant. Cor and I had lunch with her in March. She didn't have a boyfriend or a husband, but had decided she didn't want to wait for a man any longer. She had decided to be a single mother and she was about two months behind me. It felt very strange, but also very nice to all be pregnant at the same time.

And Cor invited me to be with her when she gave birth to Leah. She was having a home birth, and while Keith would be there, she thought having a second Healer who wouldn't be quite as emotionally involved would be a good thing.

"I'd be honored." I told her.

I got the call from her around six in the morning. I found her at the small house that she and Keith had purchased in January. It wasn't that far from mine and Harry's house.

She'd let Keith sleep in a bit as the actual birth was a few hours off. She was clutching her stomach through a contraction, and I just went and rubbed her back. As she relaxed, she stood up. "Good morning." she said.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"I've been better, but it's not terrible yet." she said. "Contractions about every eight minutes, lasting about a minute."

I nodded, and helped her set up. I made a small breakfast of toast and eggs, but she wasn't very hungry. I left it out, warming, for when Keith woke up.

Keith came down, and I gave them a few minutes alone. I knew this meant a lot for him- he had thought he might never marry again and get kids. And in a few hours, he would have a daughter.

Her labor progressed naturally, her contractions got closer and closer and she was in more pain. She kept moving around, trying to find a comfortable spot.

Around noon, she began to push and two hours later Leah arrived. I got her cleaned up as Keith cleaned off Leah. We all had tears in our eyes, it was a beautiful thing. Cor had been so calm throughout the whole thing, it was really an inspiration. Her middle name was to be Violet, after Keith's first wife who had died in the first war. Leah Violet Kilmory.

And she was beautiful. She had dark hair and slightly Asian features from Cor, but Keith's nose and face shape. I held her after they both had loved on her quite a bit. She was gorgeous, I would have kept her.

"You'll be her godmother, yeah?" Keith asked.

I just blinked at them. "Wouldn't you rather your sister, or something?" I asked. I didn't feel right.

"Of course not, silly." Cor said. "If it weren't for you, she wouldn't be here right now."

I just nodded. "It's a really big honor." I said. "Thank you." I kissed her head, and gave her back to them. It was clear she was in very good hands.

I went home, leaving them to bond. I was exhausted and sore and crawled back into bed for awhile. When I woke up again, Harry had brought me food. A sandwich, some pickles, and a glass of lemonade. The perfect meal.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"Awesome." I told him. "It was a really beautiful birth."

"Yeah?"

I nodded. "She was so calm throughout the whole thing- I've no idea how she did it because it looked like it hurt a lot. But she just kept persevering and it was amazing."

"That's good." he said. "I'm happy for them."

"I want a homebirth." I admitted.

He just looked at me. He was curious. "Oh?"

I'd already said I wanted to give birth at the hospital in case anything went wrong. But after seeing Cor, I'd changed my mind. "Do you... mind?"

"I don't know how to help you through that stuff." he admitted. "All I can do is hold your hand and bring you ice and encourage you."

"Well, I'd have Cor be there, or something."

"If that's what you'd like to do, then, go for it." he said. "You're the medical professional."

"That is what I would like to do then." I told him.

I got ready for it. While I jumped on the home birth idea later than most people, I still managed to read up on it and get Cor to help me.

The last two months flew by me. I was getting larger and more sore, but I tried to appreciate every moment. Even the frustrating ones, like having to get someone help me tie my sneakers. I felt a very strong connection to my child, and couldn't wait to meet him or her.

My body held on to the pregnancy past the due date. It gave me a few precious extra days to enjoy everything, but as the days dwindled down, I was overwhelmingly sad.

The only good thing is that I knew the baby would be born while the children were away with Ginny in France. While I wanted them to be a part of it all, I also wanted just a few days to bond with Harry and the baby. I had two families overlapping, but for a few days wanted to be alone. It was looking like we would get about a week alone before the kids returned.

I went to bed frustrated on Monday night. I was over fourty one weeks pregnant and very sore. I was contracting, but they weren't productive.

It took forever for me to fall asleep. I almost hated Harry, who had fallen asleep seconds after turning the light off. Yet, I was there, nearly an hour later, tossing and turning and tucking pillows places.

I finally drifted off.

I had strange dreams all night, and woke a few times. I couldn't remember the dreams very well.

Until the last one.

_I was walking around a house, some house that I had never been in. I didn't know where I was or what I was doing, but I was nervous. I wasn't pregnant anymore, which shocked me. _

_Seeing my flat stomach scared me. Where was the baby? After many months of it, not having it was extremely foreign. _

_I was wandering around the house, confused and afraid. Finally, I went into a room. _

_Harry's mum sat in a rocking chair, holding a baby. My baby?_

"_Hello?" I asked, and Lily looked up. She was just as beautiful as in the few pictures that I had seen. _

"_Sadie." she said. "Hello." _

"_Hi." I said. _

"_It looks as though I've found something of yours." she said, looking at the baby. The baby was all swaddled up, but had black hair sticking up. The blanket was a soft yellow color, just like one my mum had knitted me. I couldn't tell if it was a boy or a girl. _

"_Y-yeah." I said. _

"_You're going to be a great mum." she said. "And you've got a lovely little baby, here."_

_I moved closer, but my legs refused to work. _

"_You saved him, you know." she told me. "If you hadn't come along, he would have just kept slipping in and out of depression. But you gave him something else to live for, again, something other than his kids. You made his life exciting and happy." She had a very calming aura surround her. I felt much calmer in her presence. _

"_He's an amazing person." I told her. "He deserves to be happy."_

"_Yes he does." she smiled. "You do too."_

"_I am."_

_She nodded. "Oh, yes." she handed me the baby and everything went black._

I sat up, startling Harry. A contraction tore through me, and I clutched my stomach.

"You all right?" he asked me.

"Fine." I exhaled. As soon as it was over, I laid back against the pillow and stared at him. He blinked at me without his glasses on. "Contraction."

"Ahh." he said.

"I dreamed about your mum." I told him. "She was holding the baby. And talking about how happy you are."

He shut his eyes and smiled. "That sounds like a nice dream." he said.

"I think it might be today." I said.

"Oh? Would you like me to stay home from work?"

"Of course not." I told him. "Don't be silly. I'll send you a message if things pick up."

He nodded. "Please do. I want to be around for as much as I can." He kneeled up and kissed my stomach. "Oh, baby." he murmured, resting his head on my stomach. "Please come out and meet us. We really want to know you."

The baby kicked me, and we watched the outline of it's foot across my belly. "Mmm." I said.

I got up, throwing on just my robe. I would probably just watch TV and nap. I didn't have a lot of energy, and didn't want to waste it if anything was going to happen today.

Just before lunch, my contractions began to regulate. They were still too far apart to call Cor, but I sent a message to Harry.

_Contracting every ten minutes. It won't be long until you're going to be a Papa again. _

The baby was to call him Papa, like his other children did. He said he liked it better than Dad.

About ten minutes later, he was home. "How's it going?" he asked. "When should we call Cor?"

"In an hour or so." I told him. "I just want to make sure..."

He helped me take a warm bath, and the contractions got really bad. As soon as I got out and had a drink of water, they slowed back down. Every twelve minutes again.

"This is annoying." I told him.

"I know." he said, rubbing my back. "Just breathe. We can make it through."

I took a deep breath and he turned on some calming music. It definitely helped me settle in, and soon I was contracting again like normal.

"Can I call Cor?" he asked. "I just want a Healer here. It will make me feel better."

I nodded. "Okay." I remembered that he was a little nervous about the home birth. All of his other kids had been born in a hospital and with pain potions. But I only got to do this once and I wanted it to be perfect.

Cor came over and saw me zoned out. The music and deep breathing had calmed me and I was trying to deal with the pain by keeping my eyes closed and not thinking about it. But I was still having him keep track of the contractions.

"She looks like she's managing herself pretty well." she announced.

It was a couple of hard hours. The pain got really intense and I couldn't keep it all quiet and calm like Cor did. We went back upstairs. I wanted to have the baby in the bedroom.

Harry was a really good coach. The whole time he was spewing positive things toward me. I was beautiful, I was doing a great job, I was so strong. It really helped me get through the terrible contractions.

It came time for me to push and I just clamped on to his arm. I knew he might have bruises but it allowed me to focus myself and get the job done.

It was the most painful ordeal I had ever been through. I really wanted to be done, forget all of this crap. I wanted all the pain to be done and just go to bed. "You can do this." Harry told me. "Because you are an incredibly strong, lovely person and I know you want to meet the baby. C'mon, Sadie. You can do it."

I nodded. His words opened up a well of strength I didn't know I had. And, finally, around eleven at night, the baby was born.

A giant wail filled the room as the baby cried. "Do you want to know or see for yourself?" Cor asked, as she had caught the baby.

"Tell me, Harry." I gasped, tears rolling down my face from the wonderful sound of my child's cry.

He moved from my side, and I could tell he was cutting the cord. Tears were rolling down his face as well. He wrapped a blanket around the baby and brought our child to me. "Sadie, love." he said. "Would you like to meet our daughter?"

I choked a sob as I took her from him. I had a daughter. Knowing that, I felt so much more connection than I had before. I loved her, even if I'd only known her for two minutes.

She looked like my baby in the dream. She had Harry's beautiful, black hair. That explained my months of heartburn. Her eyes were shut, but I knew I wouldn't be able to tell anyways what color they would be. Green, I hoped. But any color would be beautiful.

"Congratulations." Cor said, wiping her own tears. "She's beautiful."

I nodded, pressing my lips to her. She needed a more thorough cleaning, so I gave her up for a few moments. Harry leaned in to kiss me. "I knew you could do it." he told me, still crying. "Thank you, Sadie."

I just nuzzled his face, too overwhelmed to speak.

"Does she have a name?" Cor asked, handing her back to me.

"Amelia." Harry said, looking to me. "Yeah?"

We had never decided on a name. We had tossed things around and I had my list, but he was frustrated and gave up. Amelia was definitely my top choice though.

"Are you an Amelia?" I asked her, kissing her. "I think you are."

"Middle name?" Harry asked. "What do you think?"

I knew he liked the names Blithe, Grace, and Annaliese. I quickly went through the name combinations in my head. "I think she's an Amelia Annaliese."

"Beautiful." Cor said.

I had worked very hard to find names that fit in well with Teddy, James Albus, and Lily. I felt like Amelia did a pretty good job. If she had been a he, her name would have been William Harry. Harry was not so keen on the idea of naming a child after himself, but I felt it was a good, solid name. And Will as a nickname would fill in well with the other names.

I got cleaned up and fed Amelia, as I was sure she was hungry.

Laying in bed a few hours later, I thought back. Sure, it was one in the morning, I'd had her around nine, but I felt so alive. I was, no doubt, in pain, but the beautiful baby laying on my chest made it all worth it. She seemed to be pretty calm so far.

Harry was in love already. He'd held the baby for a long while as I had showered and medicated. I had no problem medicating myself now that Amelia wasn't receiving any of it.

"I think she's perfect." he announced, rubbing his finger along her back. She was nearly asleep. I'd called my parents earlier and knew that my mother would be there as early as possible to see her newest granddaughter.

"Yeah." I said, just in awe of her. Seeing her chest rise and fall was a miracle to me.

"So, was the birth everything you expected?" he asked. "Are you satisfied with it?"

I thought about it. It was terrible and painful, but I would do it over and over again. Although I'd only had Amelia for a few hours, I wanted a hundred of her. "I would do it again." I told him.

"Sadie." he groaned.

I knew another child was completely out of the question. Not even an option, and brought my eyes back to the tiny being on my chest. "I know." I said. "So I guess she'll do."

"She's so tiny." he said. "For as far overdue as you went, I thought she's be as big as Jay. He was about nine pounds."

Amelia was only six and a half pounds, Cor had measured earlier. The smallest of his children. Her eyes were the blue grey as all newborns were.

"I love you." I said, leaning to kiss him. "I love you." I kissed her.

"I love you too."

The years passed.

Amelia grew. Her hair ended up being black like her Papa's, with the beautiful green eyes of her paternal grandmother. She was a playful and happy baby, who was into everything. She loved to explore and learn.

Teddy became a Healer in the Pediatric unit, just like I had been. He was dating Victoire Weasley, Bill Weasley's oldest daughter. We had a pretty good relationship now. We still knew how to push each others' buttons when we wanted to.

Jay had followed in Harry's footsteps and was in the midst of becoming an Auror. He had his own flat in Diagon Alley with two of his mates. It was a good situation and he was really happy. He'd also recently begun to date a girl named Molly.

Al had taken a Potions apprentice at the apothecary in Diagon Alley. He still lived at home, but was saving up to get a flat. He had nearly enough now, and would only be with us for another month or so.

Lily was an artist, through and through. Being at Hogwarts was a waste of time to her. She just passed her classes, but found a job right away doing artsy things for the Daily Prophet. She had been dating a boy named Seth off and on since she was fifteen.

And Amelia, my baby, was still at home during the summers. She'd ended up a Ravenclaw, like me. She was beautiful and charming. She and Leah, Cor's daughter, had turned in to our miniatures. They were inseparable.

Cor had gone on to have two more children. A boy named Guy and a girl named Sophia. I had such baby lust, but I'd only had Amelia. Most of the time, she was enough. She was still a Healer at the hospital.

So was I. I returned to my job, taking the position of Executive Healer when Amelia was six months old and my mother began watching her. While I enjoyed it immensely, my pride and joy was no longer my work. It was my children.

But we never had another baby. We'd talked a lot about it, and tried once, but it wasn't meant to be. As time passed, I learned to accept it more. I knew it wouldn't be too long until I had grandchildren, even if I had to share them.

And Harry... was still my rock. Terrible days were made much better with a simple hug, I love you, and a bath drawn. We knew each other so well.

Our hair was grayer, I had wrinkles and sags and had gained back weight I'd lost. But we were still together, through it all.

As the kids got older, we traveled more too. We saw nearly all of Europe, and even took a trip to America. We never went back to Spain, though. We had enough memories from there.

Even as our relationship gained years, and anniversaries, accomplishments and celebrations, we always remembered our first few months. The months we went from being a lonely, heartbroken, single father and a lonely, workaholic woman to a merged life that brought so much happiness.

Author's Note: Well, there it is. The very last chapter. To anyone who has reviewed this story at any point, THANK YOU. A big, special, flaming, glittery THANK YOU hug, especially, to LivingInTheClouds, Spencer of the Shire, potter-reading-coastie, 8thweasleykid, snakesandemeralds, RoxanneAteTheCookies, havok itachi, Cerberus of the Three Swords, aj1990, lalaland, and Selesteant (my first reviewer EVER!). I know I've forgotten someone, as I only went through the last ten pages of reviews, and I seriously didn't mean to. Really, you guys have kept the story going even when I couldn't. I'm sorry the chapter took so long, but it was a five thousand word chapter that I wanted to do justice. And I hope I did. Please, for the very last time, let me know what you think.

~.~

My new story, Tonight, is up and running with three chapters already posted. If you haven't taken a look at it, please do! That is what I will be focusing my energy on now.

~.~

Also, I am open to doing a "missing moments" chapter where I would do moments in the years between that didn't get seen by you guys. This would be done in December, as I'm participating in NaNoWriMo, but if I get three or four suggestions, I'll do it. So, please, suggest something and I will gladly write it.

~.~

Just to end it all, you're all wonderful and thank you for the wonderful support.


End file.
